Posts filed under 'Jeniece Smith'
March 14th, 2008
Today—a month to the day that Steven Kazmierczak stopped time on my campus—a press release from NIU’s public affairs department filtered into my inbox.
I opened it eagerly, hoping to find the answers there.
I didn’t.
I knew even before I read it that the report wouldn’t give me a feeling of closure, having been told as much from people whose advice I sought on the topic in the past few weeks, but that didn’t change how much I wanted closure.
It troubles me that sense cannot be made of senselessness, but we can demand no answers from the dead. For that reason—and in so many ways—I will always wonder why.
The other students who were touched by the tragedy on campus that day share my unsettled sense of perception and the mental awareness that we’ve moved beyond the naivety of youth.
We are forever changed, and the world will never look the same to us.
We can only be thankful for every day we are given, for being alive and feeling the sun’s warmth each morning. In succumbing to the fear that violence causes, we only allow it to taint us. Our best defense is a refusal to allow it to control us.
This devastating event has been recorded as a part of history, but history cannot dictate what comes out of it.
February 27th, 2008
On Tuesday, I attended class for the first time since the shooting Feb. 14. Everywhere I looked on campus, there were signs proclaiming, “Forward, together forward,” a message of hope taken from the lyrics of the “Huskie Fight Song.”
The university distributed black and red ribbons for students to pin on, provided counselors to give presentations in every class, and handed out reading materials on dealing with the emotional and mental impacts of violence. All of my professors lightened their students’ workload for the first week back in class. One professor canceled quizzes for the rest of the week. Another passed out an exam originally scheduled for Thursday, allotting us one week to complete it at home and hand it in. In my other classes, heavy reading and editing assignments were postponed.
Although all of this helped immensely, it was still incredibly difficult to pass right by Cole Hall on my way to classes in neighboring buildings, so I was relieved when I heard about the potential plan to demolish Cole. The future of the building has been a common topic for discussion among students since the day of the shooting. I’m not at all thrilled about Blagojevich trying to “own” the project, but I think it’s still a good project, nonetheless, even though it would certainly be best undertaken without the Gov’s – ahem – blessing.
Among the students I’ve talked to, it has been almost universally agreed upon that Cole Hall should be permanently closed, although some students are saying that it should be closed but not be razed. They argue that the structure, itself, is a memorial, but an empty, unused building is neither practical nor a memorial.
The costs of undertaking the Memorial Hall project are high, but the university needs a new facility somewhere on campus to replace Cole. Memorial Hall will not be built where Cole stood. Instead, a “green space” or memorial statue will be created there, and Memorial Hall will be constructed elsewhere.
I am taken back to the fear and chaos of Feb. 14 every time I walk past Cole Hall. A memorial built in its place would commemorate the lives of the students who died and give the NIU community a place to go and honor them.
February 22nd, 2008
Jonathon Ellis, an employee of Illinois Growth Enterprises in Loves Park, holds up a poster that says “NIU: Our prayers are with you.”
After the tragic shooting at the university last week, Ellis felt led to do something special for Terry Starliper, a production manager at IGE whose daughter attends NIU. With encouragement from his floor supervisor, Mark Janz, Ellis made a poster and asked other IGE workers to sign it. Director of Development Valerie Johnson says Ellis will present the poster to Starliper on Monday to send to his daughter at NIU.
February 19th, 2008
Thanks to initiative and hard work by students, the NIU memorial T-shirts that were in the works a few days ago are now in their final stages of becoming a reality. Go to niumemorialshirts.com to learn more and to pre-order a shirt.
The shirts are only $10, and every penny of the proceeds will go to the DeKalb/Sycamore Community Memorial Fund and the February 14 Student Scholarship fund.
February 17th, 2008
I went to my roller derby league’s practice tonight and — like I’ve been quite a few times in the past few days — was ambushed with hugs. I hadn’t seen a lot of my Rockford Rage derby sisters since before Thursday, so the embraces were plentiful.
I didn’t really feel like skating at first, so I watched my league-mates zip around the floor. Before the end of the night, I was restless to join them.
Since classes at NIU have been canceled for the entire week, I’ll probably be skating quite a bit. It will keep me busy. The league is also planning a benefit that will go toward the NIU memorial fund, and wants to do something special for NIU students at the next roller derby bout on March 8. It makes me happy to see those girls, some of them NIU grads, pulling together to accomplish some good.
A lot of businesses and organizations have decided to help NIU students during this time. May they be blessed for their kindness.
February 17th, 2008
This is how Victor E. Huskie, the NIU mascot, was depicted in the Register Star today by Rockford cartoonist Bruce Quast.
Copyright by the Rockford Register Star. Used with permission.
While we go through the aftermath of this event, it may help to remember Victor in a happier moment. In the video below, Victor dances as the NIU marching band plays “Hey Jude” during a game last year. Watch it. It will make you smile.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/PXnwdJuBIAk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
February 17th, 2008
Since leaving NIU on Thursday, I haven’t been anywhere but work or home in Rockford. I worked Thursday and Friday, but since Friday evening, I’ve shut myself into my house for a little solitude.
This morning, I left the house and went to breakfast with family in Rockford. It seemed strange to look around the restaurant and see so many smiling faces. Understandably, life goes on as normal for people who had no connections to this tragedy.
It’s a different story for those who lost loved ones, for students who lost a sense of security, and for the DeKalb community, which will for a long time be reeling from this devastating blow.
My coworkers have also felt the pain of NIU’s loss. A Register Star photographer sent to the university after the shooting showed me a button pin someone gave him while he was there. It has a dove on it and a message that reads “Peace be with you.” He cried when he talked about the students he came into contact with.
On Thursday and Friday, so many colleagues came over to offer me a kind word or just to put a hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t able to walk through the newsroom without someone stopping me and giving me a hug.
This event, as heart-wrenching as it may be for the NIU community, has drawn us all together. It’s comforting to be surrounded by such a strong group of support.
February 17th, 2008
The lyrics of the “Huskie Fight Song” hold a new meaning now. Click here to listen, and sing along.
HUSKIE FIGHT SONG
Huskies, come on you Huskies
and make a score or two
Huskies, you’re Northern Huskies
the team to pull us through
Forward, together forward
there’s victory in view
Come on you Huskies, Fight on you
Huskies and win for N.I.U.
Lyrics by Francis Stroup
Music by A. Neil Annas
February 16th, 2008
I found this touching tribute video on YouTube.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/sR9ngDdT4d8" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
February 16th, 2008
The DeKalb and Sycamore chambers of commerce have established an NIU memorial fund through the DeKalb County Community Foundation. To donate, go here and click on the NIU ribbon.
Following a discussion on the NIU Dog Pound forum, students are submitting designs for a T-shirt that will commemorate the NIU tragedy. Click here for the thread. If you’re on Facebook, join the group “NIU T-shirts to Support NIU Memorial Fund.”
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