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April 20, 2007 - Six hundred Sacred Heart University students paid tribute to the victims of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech today with a moving display that involved each of them personally. Many sporting the Virginia college’s colors – maroon and orange – the students lined themselves up in groups of 20 and then assembled on SHU’s Campus Field to form the letters, VT. Photographs taken at the assembly will be sent to Virginia Tech as a sign of solidarity and shared grief. Jim Daly, president of the Sacred Heart University Student Government, explained that Brian Germain, a Connecticut sophomore, had worked through the night gathering information on each of the victims. After a prayer that was composed and read by a University student, 32 other students read the biographies aloud in a solemn tribute to the fallen Virginia Tech students and professors. Other Sacred Heart students helping to lead this special event included Dan Duvall, a junior from Maryland, and Lacey Gilleran, a freshman from Connecticut. Money collected at the event will be sent to VT to assist in creating a memorial. “These students were our age, and this tragedy really hit home,” said Mr. Daly. “We were expecting maybe 200 to gather, so this response was overwhelming, and it gave all of us a chance to share our grief together.”

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Links to related stories:
Orange and Maroon Effect Day
A Note from the President to the University Community
Memorial Service for Virginia Tech Victims

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