Auburn University and the University of North Carolina, My Heart Is With You

On Tuesday evening, the wounded body of Auburn University student Lauren Burk, 18, was found several miles away from campus. She had been shot and left on a highway. Burk was rushed to a nearby hospital were she later succumbed to her injuries. Auburn Police later found Burk's car on campus engulfed in flames. The violent crime has shocked Auburn, a usually quiet and safe college town, and caught the attention of the national media. As the Auburn University began to grief it's loss and police began to investigate her murder, another college student was gunned down.

Early Wednesday morning, UNC Student Body President Eve Carson, 22, was found shot to death in a suburban neighborhood not far from campus. Her car was found in a neighborhood, about a block or two from where she lived. Both girls seem to be victims of random crime.

I feel such pain and sorrow for the loss of these two women. Each one of these tragedies has sincerely affected me, as I attend one of these universities. Their senseless murders anger me to the core. To think that someone would fatally harm these women, possibly just to steal their money or car, is just wretched. The harm these murderers have done is not exclusive to Lauren and Eve and their families. No, the perpetrators of these crimes have caused much pain and fear, affecting both Auburn University, The University of North Carolina, and their communities. As shootings have become increasingly frequent on college campuses, violent crimes like these only aggravate the fear of violence students everywhere now face. Safety, a right that should be provided to every individual, especially students , has yet again been challenged.

The violent actions of the two killers have caused the tragic loss of two beautiful, intelligent women with promising futures. Women who were respected, accomplished, admired, and loved by many. These women are irreplaceable. Their lives, and consequently their deaths, have impacted countless people. I fear there is not enough justice to serve them well. Lauren and Eve, you will be extremely missed.

My thoughts, my prayers, and my heart are with the families and friends of both Lauren Burk and Eve Carson, as well as Auburn University and UNC. May you find strength and beauty in their memories. I am so, so very sorry for your loss.