Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Tuesday, March 19
The Indiana Daily Student

Smedley, Wang remembered in candlelight vigil

Electric candlelight illuminated Dunn Meadow on Wednesday evening as students, friends and family remembered IU students Joseph Smedley and Yaolin Wang.

The vigil began with two moments of silence — one in honor of Joseph and another in honor of Yaolin. Yung Yu Lin, a student in the Jacobs School of Music played violin, as flowers were placed below photographs of Joseph and Yaolin.

Family members took turns sharing memories of the two students.

Vivian Brown, Joseph’s sister, said every picture and every video she has of her brother makes her laugh.

“I feel like I’ve lost a part of me that I’m never going to get back,” Brown said.

With the help of a translator, Yaolin’s father reflected on the excitement she felt when Yaolin was admitted to IU.

“I just want everyone to know that Yaolin is pure and lovely,” he said.

Yaolin’s family was refunded tuition for her studies at IU. Wang said he has plans to use this money to create a Yaolin Endowment Fund so Yaolin can “stay here forever with us.”

“Today I hope that everyone will come together and pray for Joseph’s family, as well as Yaolin,” Wang said. “So that they may both rest in peace in heaven, because there there’s no worries, no stress and no violence.”

In addition to the families’ reflections, various student organizations across campus were in attendance in a show of solidarity and support. Representatives from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the Asian Cultural Center and the Black Culture Center assisted in the vigil. A member of Counseling and Pyschological Services spoke on available counseling on campus.

“I wanted to make a point that it doesn’t matter who you are, what you are involved in, where you came from, that everyone here on IU’s campus is a family,” said Robert Sherrell, organizer and IUSA chief of diversity and 
inclusion.

Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith joined in the remembrance of Joseph and Yaolin.

“I also want you to reflect on the importance of taking care of each other,” Goldsmith said. “That as we go about our busy lives and as we go about our busy days, that we will take time to say ‘hello,’ that we will take time to reach out to our friends.”

Mike Barsella, a brother in Joseph’s Sigma Pi pledge class reflected on Joseph’s “smile that shined brighter than his diamond earrings.”

Sigma Pi president Jack DiCianni announced a remembrance event planned for next Tuesday. The time and location of this event has yet to be determined.

DiCianni said a foundation is being established in Joseph’s honor.

A second memorial is planned for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Lawrence Central High School in 
Indianapolis.

The memorial came to a close as friends and family placed candles under pictures of each student.

“Even though we don’t know them personally, we know that Joseph and Yaolin both had loving friends and family,” senior Hafsah Khan of the Asian Culture Center said. “And we know that they had hopes and dreams and that they were aiming to become people that would be remembered.”

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe