Remembering the fallen

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The mood was reflective and somber during a candlelight vigil held at the Campanile on Tuesday night for those involved in Monday’s Virginia Tech shootings.

Photo by Anna Faltermeier

Nichole Stenbak, Vancouver, Wash. graduate student, gets a hug from Brandon White, Antioch, Ill. graduate student, during a candlelight vigil held at the Campanile Tuesday evening. The vigil was held to honor those affected by the Virginia Tech shootings.

About 120 students, faculty and others attended. Maroon ribbons and white candles were passed out, and anyone who wished could sign a banner that will be sent to Virginia Tech.

The vigil only ran for 15 minutes, although many chose to stay longer. Chancellor Robert Hemenway opened with a short speech.

“It’s sad to say, but the memory I have tonight is standing in this exact same spot after 9/11,” Hemenway said during the speech. “Twenty years from now we will remember we were at the Campanile the night after 32 people died.”

Matt Drake, Woodbridge, Va., graduate student, had previously attended Virginia Tech. He followed Hemenway’s speech with a brief one of his own.

“If you’re supporting Virginia Tech students, you’re supporting higher education and everything we stand for,” Drake said during his speech.

Danielle Coffyn, Prarie Village junior, said that she and her younger sister came to show their support.

“We’ve both been watching the news a lot and we’re really affected by it,” Coffyn said. “Virginia Tech’s campus is very similar to KU’s and it’s in a small town too.”

Kendra Price, Jefferson City, Mo., junior, said she too felt she could relate to the students at Virginia Tech.

“This feels like a way to let out some of my own grief,” Price said.

For Tiffany Spriggs, Princeton, W.Va., graduate student, the tragedy hit closer to home. Luckily, none of her loved ones were victims of the shooting.

“My hometown is about 30 minutes from there,” Spriggs said. “My friend’s dad is a professor there, but he wasn’t on campus.”

Kansan staff writer Joe Hunt can be contacted at jhunt@kansan.com.

— Edited by Ryan Schneider

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