UIndy community remembers VT, NIU
By Staci Reafsnyd
Sports Editor
The University of Indianapolis Social Work Association and Ecumenical News International held a memorial service on April 16 in remembrance of the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shooting that took place one year ago and the recent college shooting at Northern Illinois University on Feb. 14.
Senior Erin Betlej told the audience that the Virginia Tech tragedy easily could have been here at UIndy and that she is looking towards the future with hope that violence on college campuses will one day end.
After the opening prayer, a poem was read that was written the day after the shootings on the VT campus, repeating several times that April 16, 2007, would be a day the students would never forget. As the names of those who died were read, a candle was lit to remember their lives, and a prayer was said for their families.
On the NIU campus, a poem was taped to the doors of Cole Hall. At the memorial service that poem also was read, saying “I love you…If we don’t care about each other, who will? … I love you.” Six more candles were lit in remembrance of the lives of the victims there, and prayer was said for their families.
Members of the audience sang an a cappella version of ‘Let there be peace on earth’ while passing a flame from row to row to light individual candles. In front, fourteen candles remained lit, representing peace and hope.
Around 8 a.m., a temporary physical memorial in the shape of a ribbon had been set up on Smith Mall in remembrance of these shootings. Thirty-nine stones were featured; 33 representing the victims at VT and six representing the victims at NIU. The memorial also included photos from the shootings that were taken by VT and NIU students.
Betlej said that she wanted students to be shocked by the fact that the shooters were also represented in the 39 stones that were on Smith Mall.
“The day of the shootings [at Virginia Tech] the students, themselves, took stones on their drill field [and] put 32 of them out,” Betlej said. “Their permanent memorial is the stones because the stone is the symbol of Virginia Tech.”
During the lunch and dinner hours, a table was set out for students to pick up a ribbon in the colors of Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois; maroon and orange for VT and black and red for NIU.
SWA initially started the project by brainstorming the idea, but they realized that they needed more people to help make the memorial a success. So SWA contacted the ENI office for help.
Putting the memorial together was relatively simple. The pictures featured in the memorial were found on Facebook, and give a student’s point-of-view about the shootings.
“The plan was just to [memorialize] Virginia Tech, but then the NIU [shootings] happened,” Betlej said.
Senior Jonathon Carolin said that SWA and the ENI just want people to come and take a look at what is happening.
“I thought it was a great [idea],” Carolin said. “Not just to bring attention to Virginia Tech, but for people in-general to realize [school shootings] happen.”
