The Omnibus

Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Zach Henderson Sophomores Shawn Daugherty and Hope Foster light candles in rememberance of the Virginia Tech victims at the Tuesday, April 17 candlelight vigil at Plaster Stadium. Students met to pray for victims' families, the Virginia Tech campus and the family of the gunman.

A stadium normally filled with cheering students and pep band music was silent as over 150 Southwest Baptist University students, faculty, staff and Bolivar residents gathered for a candlelight vigil in Plaster Stadium for the students of Virginia Tech Tuesday night, April 17.
The candlelight vigil was a response to the campus shooting that occurred on the VT campus Monday, April 16 when VT senior Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 students and faculty before taking his own life.
Raise Your Voice and Student Government Association sponsored and organized the candlelight vigil. In Blacksburg, Virginia, a similar vigil was being held at the same time.
"We wanted to give the students an outlet because when things like this happen far away, we don't know what we can do," said senior Jesica Jacobs.
Candles were passed out as students, faculty and staff took their seats in the bleachers and waited for the service to begin. Student Body President senior Laura Towner asked those present to remain silent throughout the vigil in a state of prayer and remembrance.
SBU President Dr. C. Pat Taylor opened the vigil with a prayer. Senior David Van Bebber followed the prayer with a speech emphasizing the purpose of the vigil, the reactions to the tragedy and our responsibilities as Christians.
"It is our responsibility to pray for [Cho Seung-Hui's] family in this dreadful time that God will help them and all the families through this," said Van Bebber. "This evening and in the weeks to come we can't treat lightly our responsibility to serve our friends at Virginia Tech with prayer, notes of encouragement and by simply loving those around us as Christ first loved and continues to love us."
After Van Bebber, Jacobs, sophomore Ian Paterson and SBU graduate Molly Graham led those gathered in the singing of the hymn "It is Well."

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