The Reality of Perception
It’s often said that perception is reality. Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a persistent one.” Everything is open to interpretation, at least on some level.
This month’s cover story focuses on crime at SMU. When reviewing its recently released 2015 crime statistics, we were surprised to discover a sharp increase in the number of reported aggravated assaults. Naturally this provoked the question, “Is SMU safe?” Well, that depends on how you look at it.
It is true that SMU’s main campus had more aggravated assaults than any of the other Dallas-area universities. It is also true that only two of the reported assaults at SMU occurred on its main campus. The other six were reported near the east campus building across Central Expressway. So is the campus safe? That’s for someone else to decide.
On a lighter note, the long-awaited arrival of fall motivated us to highlight some of the wonderful outdoor exercise amenities we have close to home. These, coupled with the Katy Trail expansion plans at Mockingbird Station, continue to make our community a more enjoyable place to live.
We also considered writing something about the presidential election. It’s obviously the biggest story out there, and we as a staff have talked many times about how best to approach it. Ultimately, we decided to leave the issue alone, but we did include a column from a local high schooler encouraging you to vote, whomever you support.
