A number of community colleges around Oregon held vigils Wednesday evening to honor the victims of the shooting last week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.
Nearly a hundred students, staff and community members gathered on the campus plaza to light candles and pay tribute to the fallen of Roseburg. The crowd stood somber and silent as Rogue Community College Director of Student Services Kori Bieber tolled the names of the dead …
Kori Bieber: “Lucero Alcaraz … Treven Taylor Asnpach … Rebecka Ann Carnes …”
RCC Student Body President Zach Malatesta said the attack on the Umpqua Campus felt like a violation of trust.
Zach Malatesta:” College has always felt like a safe place to me. And I can imagine it’s always felt like a safe place to our students. We go there to become better ourselves and better people in our community. And these students had that safety taken away from them.”
Other speakers voiced the need to reach out to those in the community who are lonely and afraid.
The vigils were scheduled to take place at all three Rogue Community College campuses, as well as at Southwest Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls and at other community colleges around the state.
