White roses wrapped in tiger-striped tissue paper were given to the grieving families Friday at MU Remembers, an annual event that honors the students who passed away within the last school year.
The tiger stripes represented a recurring theme of the event: Every student is a member of the MU family. The event was held in Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union.
The event remembered 12 students: McKenna Campbell, DeAndra Carter, Kayce Goldberg, Curtis Ham, Alexander Johnston, Jacob Meyers, Paul Miltenberger, Michael Niles, Christopher Parsons, Elizabeth Upton, Matthew Wade and Matthew Yarick.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs opened the event with a speech that emphasized the importance of unity, support and hope.
“While the person is no longer with us, their hopes and dreams live on in their family and friends,” Scroggs said.
Provost Garnett Stokes echoed Scroggs’ sentiment.
“When they are taken from us, we have a hole in our hearts and suffer a tremendous loss,” Stokes said. “Life may be shorter than we wish, but we need to value each and every person who crosses our path.”
Missouri Students Association President Sean Earl spoke about each student, describing their personalities, passions and campus involvement. Tearing up, Earl paused several times while reading.
_Campbell was involved with the Christian sorority Sigma Phi Lambda and loved to sing and dance._
_Carter enjoyed reading and knew every word of her favorite Harry Potter movie._
_Goldberg was a sister of Phi Mu sorority, loved helping others and had two mission trips planned._
_Ham was remembered for his kind personality, hard work that landed him on the Dean’s List and love for wrestling._
_Johnston was optimistic and known for his signature phrase: “Don’t worry about it; it will work out.”_
_Meyers was passionate about the environment and a brother of Phi Sigma Pi honors fraternity._
_Miltenberger was a brother of Beta Theta Pi and loved sports and music by Jack Johnson._
_Niles was passionate about printmaking and animals._
_Parsons loved helping others, worked at a camp for children with bladder and bowel problems, and was a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother._
_Upton was described as charming and outgoing and loved others unconditionally._
_Wade enjoyed reading about spiritual subjects and practicing meditation, and he had a big heart._
_Yarick was a member of the Mizzou Ballroom Dance Club and was passionate about working hard for a good cause._
Graduate Professional Council President Hallie Thompson read a quote from Maya Angelou: “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.”
“In their own ways, each of these students have contributed to our campus and will continue to live on in our community,” Thompson said.
At the end of the event, a slideshow played with photos of the students who died.
Scroggs said MU’s flags flew at half-staff today and Memorial Union’s tower was darkened Friday in remembrance. The names of the students will be displayed in Memorial Union in remembrance, and Ellis Library took in a new book in honor of each student.
_Edited by Hailey Stolze | hstolze@themaneater.com_