Families gathered into the room one by one, greeted by a four-string quartet playing calming melodies to set the mood of the afternoon.
In the past year, 15 IU students have died. On Sunday, the Division of Student Affairs hosted the Annual Student Remembrance Day to mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of the 15 students.
“The daily life of the campus is measurably and permanently altered,” Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith said.
David Richard Caulfield, Jill Christine Clay, Christopher Colter, Kelly Ann ?Hackendahl, Tyler Kabzinski, Karlijn Keijzer, Richard Lawmaster, Amanda Elaine Ludwig, Danielle Lynn, Brian Robert MacLafferty, Jacob Matthew Meyer, Erik Daniel Noonan, Alexander Enrique Ruesta, Sajaad Syed and Anthony James Wilkerson were all recognized.
The event started with a welcome from Sara Ivey Lucas, assistant dean of students, and then continued with remarks from Goldsmith. Goldsmith talked about how too brief of a time these students had with the community. The event grew to a crowd of more than 60 people.
Following the opening remarks, Robert Meyer, representative from the Division of Student Affairs, discussed what it meant to be a part of the IU family. Meyer posed the age-old question of what a Hoosier truly is in order to understand the IU family. Only Hoosiers truly know who we are, Meyer said. The 15 students did not have the chance to experience all there is to being a Hoosier.
“We look back in pondering to look forward with purpose,” Pastor Mathew Shockney, president of the Campus Religious Leaders Association, said.
Shockney provided spiritual remarks explaining how a house of mourning is better than a house of feast. Moments like these make us take a step back on the world and think about our faith, Shockney said.
“Even in the midst of your loss, your heart will be made glad,” Shockney said.
The event concluded with the reading of each name by Darrell Ann Stone, a representative from the Division of Student Affairs, and closing remarks from Ivey Lucas. Then families and friends were encouraged to stay and gather to remember their loved ones.
As part of Ivey’s closing remarks, she added Lauren Spierer to the list of students. Spierer went missing almost four years ago and has yet to be located.
“We are here today to come together as a community,” Ivey Lucas said.
There was an overall appreciation and gratitude to IU from friends and families.
“IU was definitely a big part of both of our lives,” said Melissa Horn, IU freshman and friend of Anthony Wilkerson, who died Nov. 20, 2014. “We were both figuring out the college life together.”
Elizabeth Haviland, IU senior and sister of Wilkerson, expressed how the event was a little strange. She wished the University did more to include more of the IU family but was very grateful of all the support IU did give to her and her family.
“Anthony didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Haviland said. “IU was his home before he even got here.”
Residents from one residence hall floor, including a resident assistant showed up to support the friends and family of Alex Ruesta. Ruesta was a freshman, and IU would have been a big part of his life, Ruesta’s cousin Erinn Gallagher said.
“As terrible as a process as this was, IU was so helpful and kind in every way,” ?Gallagher said.
