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Virginia Tech remembered at UMD
By SARA JOCHEMS
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
iISSUE: 78/27
TYLER SWEENEY / STATESMAN
Eleni Johnson and Leah Nelson lay down in rememberance of students killed in last year’s Virginia Tech school shooting.
Thirty-two people stood side-by-side wearing black. A name was read. Suddenly someone lied down. Then a golden bell chimed. Now there were 31 people standing. Another name was read. Another body lied down. The golden bell rang again. Thirty. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings as well as gun violence around the country, 32 volunteers represented the 32 fallen victims, participated in a lie-in yesterday in the Kirby Lounge.
Sponsored by the Students for Peace and Northland Million Mom Chapter, the lie-in came to UMD with the help of MPIRG member Matthew Pendleton and co-president of the Northland Million Mom Chapter Joan Peterson. “This lie-in is a movement in response to school shootings,” Peterson said. “We are a part of 70 lie-ins in the state of Minnesota that have taken place since the Virginia Tech shootings. Ironically, 32 more shootings have taken place.” Pendleton felt that hosting this lie-in at UMD was important and significant. “This event is to reflect and bring awareness to college students that incidences like this can happen across America and all over the world for that matter,” Pendleton said.
The lie-in process took three minutes, from the start of the first name read, to a minute of silence after the last name was read. The amount of silent time that occurred was for a specific reason. “This is the amount of time that it could have taken for the Virginia Tech shooter to purchase a gun,” Peterson said. “It is also the time that anyone could purchase a gun in the U.S.” Steve Wick, co-founder of UMD Students for Peace, said the lie-in was not only to commemorate the fallen, but also gun violence, which is a persistent issue. “As a citizen, I want to live in a country where I know the laws are there to protect me,” Wick said. “As a human being, I never want to see anyone else’s life cut short because of a firearm. This lie-in demonstrates that it is too easy to gain access to guns for many who should not be able to have them.”
Wick also said that all 32 volunteers were there for a specific reason whether it was personal or passionate. “They might know someone who lost their life due to gun violence or simply want to volunteer,” Wick said. Peterson explained that her participation was for her sister who was shot and killed by her estranged husband in 1992. UMD student and member of Students for Peace Jamie Ebert said that she participated because of gun violence awareness. “Personally, [I think] gun use is outrageous and there needs to be stricter gun laws,” Ebert said. “Too many people die.”
Sophomore Linda Gokee-Rindal, another member of Students for Peace, said that being a volunteer was important. “School shootings are happening everywhere and I believe there is so much we [government and individuals] can do to prevent violence,” Gokee-Rindal said. “We just don’t.”
