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Yahoo!Upon approaching Storke Plaza, we could see hundreds of flickering lights filling in the steps amid an overwhelming silence. The opening speaker of Monday night’s candlelight vigil thanked the students for coming together, and expressed that after such a horrendous event it is important to remember that random acts of violence occur in our own community, and that it is imperative to keep an open dialogue between one another and be receptive to fellow students who have experienced such terror.
Student Stephanie Brower spoke as a UCSB student moved by what happened Monday morning at Virginia Tech. She was joined by university chancellors in voicing her appreciation and pride for being a member of such a powerful community while venting her own feelings of disbelief and her inability to grasp the day’s horrors.
It had been difficult to tell just how many people had come to the vigil until we were all asked to descend the steps and form a large circle around the plaza. As the space wasn’t big enough for everyone, we looked up at the faces surrounding us and felt an overwhelming sense of questioning, fear, sadness, and ultimately solidarity in the heavy winds that swept through Storke Plaza. When the moments of silence were concluded, no one budged from the circle. It was a moving moment symbolizing that although the group was able to move on — and move out — we chose to stand together as a student body. It seemed to be an unspoken pact between those who attended the vigil. It was our duty to do our best, to never let this event be repeated at UCSB.
As the microphone was opened to discussion, students poured in to deliver their personal anecdotes of how the event had affected them and how they thought we could move on from here. East Coast students explained how the massacre hit close to home, and relived out loud the motions they went through Monday morning so they could be put in contact with loved ones who attended Virginia Tech. One first-year UCSB student recounted how she was on the phone with her friend who was locked in the dormitory the gunman first entered, and that we in California were just as knowledgeable of the unfolding events as she was.
Members of the student EMT program asked for the crowd to keep in mind the student medical service members who are forced to deal with such traumatic experiences. Other students, moved to tears, explained their feelings of distance from what had occurred, but begged that everyone become more diligent in expressing their love for friends and families. Fourth-year student Cricket Clarke explained that when atrocity happens on our own soil, our hearts go out to the friends and families of the deceased. She also reflected on the larger picture, saying that as world citizens we must remember and keep in our thoughts the friends and families of those dying in the war-torn Middle East.
The night was filled with hugs, tears, and disbelief. Coming together as a community was important — to show our solidarity for those hurt in Monday’s violent acts. It seemed to bring students out of the clouds, and serve as a reality check. Even though our warm and inviting Santa Barbara community seems so safe, such events are truly random and uncontrollable. Because of this, we must continue to live each day to the fullest and go on after college to utilize our education for the bettering of our community and world.
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