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Syracuse University students gathered on Tuesday –– not in person, but over Zoom and Facebook Live –– for a vigil commemorating four SU community members who have died in the past month.

The service, which was broadcast from a near-empty Hendrick Chapel, commemorated students Trevor Pierce and Jack Lundin, graduate student and SU staff member Bridget Lawson and professor Sherri Taylor, who all died within the last four weeks. The virtual service consisted of readings, songs and candle-lighting to commemorate the month of loss for the SU community.

“Today, we grieve,” said Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel, during the vigil. “Today we gather, perhaps not in person but surely in spirit.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud said the recent deaths have further contributed to a semester the coronavirus pandemic has already made challenging.

Pierce, an SU freshman, died Oct. 13 after colliding with an SU trolley at the intersection of Waverly and Comstock avenues. Lundin, also a freshman, died unexpectedly the night after. Lawson died at her home on Sept. 22.

Taylor, a professor in the Newhouse School of Public Communications in the visual communications department, died Sunday night from a long illness.

“Life seems so fragile these days in a time so unfair,” Syverud said. “Our university has experienced loss before. In tough times like these, we have somehow found a way.”

Rhonda Chester, the United Methodist Ecumenical chaplain at Hendricks, spoke after a brief musical interlude following Syverud’s remarks. Acknowledging sadness and grief can help people better appreciate the happiness in their lives, Chester said.

“The sadness we feel is a strange friend,” Chester said. “Sometimes it takes sadness to appreciate gladness.”

Konkol then invited selected students, administrators and chaplains to partake in a candle-lighting ceremony.

A lit candle at the front of the chapel signified gratitude, Konkol said. SA President Justine Hastings and Vice President Ryan Golden lit a second candle signifying grief. Dean of Students Marianne Thomson and Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience, lit a third signifying courage.

Mark Lodato, dean of Newhouse, where Lundin was a student, and Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Pierce’s home college, lit a fourth candle signifying memory.

Leonese Nelson, director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program in the School of Education, where Taylor was a counselor, lit the final candle, which represented love.

Carrie Brown, counseling clinical director at the Barnes Center at The Arch, said that everyone experiences grief differently and suggested ways people can cope, such as spending time with loved ones or finding moments for self-reflection.

In times of mourning, it may be necessary to speak with a professional counselor, especially if grieving is inhibiting work or daily routines, Brown said. She reminded students that counseling services are available to them at the Barnes Center.

“Be patient with yourself and be patient with others,” Brown said. “It’s OK to not be OK right now.”

The service concluded with a final prayer from Gail Riina, the Lutheran chaplain at Hendricks, and a song from four members of the Hendricks Chapel students choir.

“Today and together, we have indeed gathered,” Konkol said. “And tomorrow, and together, we will move forward.”

Published on October 20, 2020 at 10:11 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan