Recently, there was a devastating terrorist attack on the city of Paris, France, or the City Of Light, as it is know affectionately.

That city’s lights were dimmed undeniably by the bloodshed that shook the city, and much of the world.

As a part of the European Union, all citizens are free to travel within the counties in the Eurozone, with minimal to no scrutiny. This is one of the most beautiful things about Europe as a whole. You can get on a train in Madrid, have brunch in Paris, dinner in Amsterdam, and wake up in Berlin, all without the need for invasive bag searches, screenings or passports. This is an incredible feat of trust and unity in countries that less than 80 years ago were waging a second war of global proportions against one another. In that time, we’ve seen a beautiful conglomeration of cultures, each remaining individual, yet coexisting without the need for nationalistic behavior.

All this changed on Nov. 13.

Terrorism can be a scary thing; it derails your whole life. Americans know this implicitly, as after 9/11 we felt exposed, scared and uncertain. These emotions are expected, but how we respond to them is what really matters.

The United States responded by going on the defense. We beefed up security, made it much more difficult to come and go through the country and all together tightened the border, even with allied countries.

We’re seeing a similar reaction in France right now.

People are paranoid, and the borders have been tightened as a response. I cannot imagine a Europe where you can no longer travel freely from one country to another. I feel that France needs to remain steadfast and strong, no matter how unimaginable that may seem.

The country needs to take a course of action similar to Spain after several commuter trains were blown up over a decade ago. Spain kept its borders open and encouraged people to visit. They took a life altering event and put it past them after an appropriate mourning period.

Laura Kessler put it quite well.

“I feel they have certain obligations to keep their borders open. They are a part of the EU and they need to keep up their end of the bargain as a member.”

“Yeah, and I feel if they close their borders, it just shows other countries that they should close their borders as well,” said fellow peer, Amanda Cohick.

Dr. Jonathan Kuiken, and assistant professor of history, also shared his comments.

“Yes, the Schengen Agreement is one of the fundamental agreements from the creators of the EU, and thus France needs to remain a participant. If they were to abandon the agreement, it could result in a family and friends should not necessitate spending every last cent. All in all, the cliché “it’s the thought that counts” really does possess significance. major blow to the European community as well as the economy, with only marginally better security in return.

“I think strategically placed security measures would serve a better purpose, as long lines at the border, with American style searches, aren’t worth the economic and social disadvantages they could result in.

“If Jean Monnet, the founding father of the European Union, could see the kneejerk reactions that some people are pushing in France, he’d be spinning in his grave.”

I agree wholeheartedly with these statements.

If France closes it borders, it could set off a domino effect, with serious repercussions on the world economy, unity in the European Union, and worse yet, could boost morale for terrorist groups.