Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre.
There will be a candle-light vigil held at Chapel’s Field from 7-8pm.
On April 16th, 2007 Virginia Tech was the site of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. A total of 32 people were shot and killed, in addition to the shooter who later took his own life. The events at Virginia Tech have affected universities nationwide. The tragedy is important to commemorate, as it helps us to appreciate the freedoms we, as a university community, fight to protect.
A vigil to remember the victims will be held Wednesday evening. Assuming the weather is nice, we plan to hold it outside on Chapels Field. Please bring your thoughts to share about Virginia Tech or about non-violence on university campuses.
If you plan to attend, or even if you can’t make it, please wear maroon and orange (VA Tech colors) on Wednesday in commemoration of the tragedy.
This event is organized by Kalynn Cook (and, if I understand correctly, Shanna Rifkin) and sponsored by Democracy for America. More info on the facebook page.
The VA Tech tragedy hits us all in different ways. Whenever I think of the event, I remember the long posters/papers that students at Brandeis, and other colleges (I was touring Universities at the time) signed and sent to Virgina Tech.
The Waltham-based Daily News Tribune has already written an article about the vigil –
A year ago Wednesday, Kalynn Cook’s childhood friend was killed when Seung-Hui Cho opened fire on the Virginia Tech campus.
To mark the first anniversary and to remember her friend, Erin Peterson, the Brandeis freshman from Sterling, Va., planned a candlelight vigil for tomorrow night.
“I’m from northern Virginia and I came up here for school. When it got to be April I knew that the one-year anniversary would be coming up. I looked at the Brandeis calendar of events and I noticed there wasn’t anything scheduled,” she said. “I decided to talk to some of my friends who happen to be involved in student activism. They suggested I host an event myself.”
Cook said she contacted the student organization Democracy for America, which helped organize the event.
Starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow, students will read a biography of each person killed in the massacre, hold a prayer service and conduct an open forum to discuss the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.
The article goes on to discuss the shootings and Brandeis’ response to them. I agree with Lev, it’s too bad the Daily News Tribune avoided mentioning that the DFA-sponsored coalition Students Opposing the Decision to Arm opposed the arming of campus police.
Also, tomorrow evening at 8pm in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater is the final showing of Bang, Bang, You’re Dead!. The performance is free, but they are accepting donations for the Northern Illinois University Counseling Center. (NIU being one of the campuses most recently victim to a school shooting)