Hope and perseverance are what University of Nevada, Las Vegas President Keith Whitfield says are needed after a gunman killed three professors on campus on Dec. 6.
Whitfield made the remarks during a memorial vigil on Wednesday evening.
There was a slight winter chill, and a somber mood, as UNLV’s Lee Pascal Rose Garden crowded with students, faculty and residents.
Whitfield opened the memorial service.
“Fear and anger must never rule our actions, but rather let us move forward by using hope and fortitude.”
Some, however, are finding his efforts to restore optimism and peace to the university community challenging.
Lorena Espraza is a kinesiology student. She was on campus the day of the shooting and now finds it hard to be there.
“I don’t even think I can go into the Student Union anymore," she said.
UNLV professors and staff were the shooter’s main targets on Dec. 6.
Jailene Vazquez, an alumnus of the UNLV Lee Business School, was at a private gathering for staff a day before the vigil.
“Some of them were not there because they're still obviously coping and they're still very traumatized. But for the ones that were there, the reason why they were there was because being around the Lee Business School faculty and staff is their coping mechanism.”
For UNLV senior Samer Youssouf, time and distance will eventually provide some comfort, but he also notes it’s important to get help if you need it.
“It’s going to be a slow process. For some people, it may take weeks, months, maybe even years sometimes. Make sure to seek out, don’t be afraid, we’re all here for each other. That’s the point of this community.”
University Police are currently looking into ways to improve security on campus moving forward.
