LiveBlog: Thursday Vigil

Tonight, people began to gather at the area outside the JC, gathering under tents with flowers, signing letters and notes of care. A young child is standing next to me, giving out ribbons. Soft and slow music is playing over the speakers while I stand in the fading light. Already the number of people here is far more then the number at the previous vigil and, though some students simply pass through on their way to dinner or class, for the great majority the attitude is the same. A somber gathering of people. In all ways, people are leaning on each other tonight, be it physical or emotional. It seems that, in some ways, the gap between now and the tragedy of this monday is infinite. That is part of the reason why people are here today I suspect. It is not only to honor the memories of those lost, but also to make sure we all remember the 33 who died.

7:10PM: A lot of groups are here, along with a far better setup resulting from the advance planning that went into this event. The crowd grows with ever minute, while people are waiting for the first speaker to take the Mason podium.

7:14: The first speaker takes the stage. Dr. Maurice Scherrens. He speaks to a huge crowd which is completely quiet. "It makes me mad [...] All we can do know is keep those victims in our thoughts and prayers. [...] A bad thing happened to great people at a great university and I don't know why. [...] I still feel the disbelief, the anger, the sorrow. […] I know there must be something here we are supposed to learn." 'A bad thing happened to great people at a great university and I don't know why,' Dr. Scherrens pronounces the refrain over and over. "Live today as if you were going to die tomorrow […] Their death has told us that we must act." Dr. Scherrens talks of how we must live "passionately instead of passively," and his words are like poetry. "A bad thing happened to great people at a great university and I will never know why."

7:20: The student body president and president-elect have taken the stage. Al-Mudallal reminds us to not let our perceptions bias us, while Shelnutt reminds us of the essential properties of our security.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Virginia community tonight," the president-elect said.