Taylor Behl’s name is recognizable to most, if not all, VCU students by now. Even more identifiable is the photocopied image of her face, which is on fliers plastered on almost every bulletin board, window and telephone poll on campus and surrounding area.
Many who pass 17-year-old Behl’s “missing” flier on the way to their classes and residences don’t differentiate it from other fliers. Others stop to look at it but continue on after just a moment. They allow the information to quickly recede into their memory. It seems easy to forget that behind the name and face, there is an actual person.
Maybe it’s VCU’s immense size – over 28,000 students – that makes it difficult for any single issue to be on everyone’s mind. But in the case of Behl, her disappearance is not an everyday occurrence.
“Many who pass 17-year-old Behl’s ‘missing’ flier on the way to their classes and residences don’t differentiate it from other fliers. It seems easy to forget that behind the name and face, there is an actual person.” |
Behl is only 17 years old and a freshman; she had been in her GRC dorm, where she was last seen, for just a few short weeks before she vanished. As she anticipated starting college this past summer, she surely never thought that she’d be part of such a scenario, least of all so soon upon leaving home.
Without a doubt, VCU administration is feeling the most pressure to resolve the affair, although the search for Behl has now become a state investigation. The administration must understand that she is representative of a very important demographic – she, like a large percentage of the student body, is from Northern Virginia. If the administration doesn’t respond fully and resourcefully, VCU’s reputation might suffer in some circles in the region.
Fortunately, university, local, and state officials have been diligent in their search; their efforts should be commended, especially considering the lack of evidence surrounding Behl’s disappearance.
While Behl remains missing, some will suggest that VCU’s urban setting allows for more criminal activity and foul play. But for those of us who live, study and work here, we know that the university’s porous relationship with the rest of Richmond is usually not something worth worrying too much about, at least in terms of safety – thanks to our VCU police force, the campus is safer than the surrounding area.
Nevertheless, every once in a while, an exception comes along. In the case of missing Taylor Behl, as long as there is no resolution, the exception is quite poignant. Until her status and whereabouts become known, let us consider the young person behind the name and face on the fliers all around us.
Tad Hethcoat may be reached at tadhethcoat@yahoo.com