A 19-year old fraternity pledge at Virginia Commonwealth University must drink a handle of whiskey as part of his initiation ceremony. He does, and dies. Eleven fraternity brothers let him. On the surface, this case seems cold, calculated, and maybe even insidious. But the truth of Adam Oakes’ untimely death is much more complicated.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is well known for its dedication to campus safety and student security. But its location in the city of Newark would show that no matter how tight security might be, there is always a chance for the worst to happen. And though crime in Newark was reportedly down in 2016, these statistics were meaningless to the family and friends of NJIT junior, Joe Micalizzi, who became one of the many victims of Newark’s violent crime in May of that same year.

Jillian Robbins was a troubled teen with a long history of mental instability. But when she lied on her military application and was accepted to basic training, her years of hallucinations and debilitating depression turned her military sniper training into a recipe for a mass killer. When she decided to fire on unsuspecting students at Penn State University, the quick thinking and brave actions of a Penn State Senior kept her attack from turning into a bloody massacre, limiting the loss of life.