This weekend's shocking announcement of the hit-and-run death of junior Kaitlin Charity was among the most tragic relating to a Geneseo student in recent memory. While community-member deaths are thankfully uncommon, the fact that Geneseo is a large congregation of people innately linked by a common purpose makes bearing the loss of one member all the more hard to stomach.
The dramatic incidence of her death, and the ongoing investigation surrounding it has attracted a large amount of local media attention. While this is not necessarily unwarranted, the danger we face is letting the drama of sensational news overshadow the simple tragedy that exists outside the realm of the nature of her death: Kaitlin's no longer with us.
Simply put, Kaitlin's value far outweighs the amount allotted to her by local media in terms of the story's potential for grabbing the public's attention. So when thinking about Kaitlin, keep two things in mind: first, the importance of coming together to support her friends and family throughout this painful time; second, to remember her for who she was and the contributions she did make - membership in Nassau Hall Council and positively impacting 6th graders in a tutoring program, among others - rather than simply focus on how she died.