Nick Faulkner
Leanna Beach, a senior studying technology education, comforts sophomore mechanical engineering major Cayla Cooke during the candlelight vigil held on the Brickyard Sept. 14. Beach said that she urges people to ask how others are doing, as that may be all it takes to get them to open up.
More than 300 people showed up for the candlelight vigil held for Joseph Alexander Banks, the student that fell from Dabney Hall Monday. There weren’t enough candles to go around for everyone in the crowd.
Current students, alumni and Chancellor Randy Woodson attended the vigil in the Brickyard.
It began with a moment of silence for Banks. People bowed their heads, some closed their eyes. A pile of flowers lay next to Dabney.
His friends called him Joey. He was a sophomore studying chemical engineering. He was a quiet guy, a hard worker and was always playing the guitar. No one predicted this would’ve happened, said Banks’ suite-mate who asked not to be identified.
When the news first broke, 10 students saw it and took matters to their own hands. They made a poster saying that a vigil would be held that night at 9:30 p.m. in the Brickyard. Together, they bought all of the candles and began handing them out at 9:15 p.m.
More than 25 students opened up and gave their own stories and advice regarding mental health. Psalms were read, prayers were recited and advice was given. One girl discussed her own experience with depression and how three words her roommate said saved her life: “Are you OK?”
After she said this, many people referenced back to it when talking about their own experiences. Some spoke of their own struggles or experiences of friends.
Emphasis was placed on the ideal of family within the Wolfpack. Pamphlets with suicide number hotlines were provided and the floor was then open for anyone to come up and speak.
The vigil ended at 10:30 p.m. with another moment of silence. People held hands, huddled together, and comforted those who were holding back tears.