On Feb. 7, the Dartmouth Student Government and the Tucker Center co-hosted a vigil on Collis Porch to commemorate the victims of the Dec. 13 mass shooting at Brown University.
About 30 community members attended the vigil, which consisted of a few minutes of silence and the playing of Brown’s alma mater on the Baker-Berry bells. At Brown University’s request, all eight Ivy League universities held vigils for the victims at the same date and time, according to student body president Sabik Jawad ’26.
Two Brown students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, were shot and killed in the attack by former Brown graduate student Claudio Neves Valente. Nine other students were wounded.
On Dec. 17, three days after the shooting, nine community members held a vigil on the Green for victims of the shooting. In an interview after the event, Jawad said that because the first vigil was held during winterim, Dartmouth’s student body never had an “opportunity to process this together.”
“When this tragedy happened during December, I think all of us were feeling for [the lives lost], but we were in the middle of break,” Jawad said.
Before the vigil, organizers placed photos of the shooting victims on Collis Porch, with a candle next to each photo. Two of the candles were lit in remembrance of the students who had passed away.
Rev. Nancy Vogele ’85, who serves as Tucker Center chaplain and director, began the vigil by announcing that its purpose was to commemorate the victims of the shooting and “stand in solidarity” with Brown.
“We wanted to have the pictures so that we remember that they’re not just two numbers, but they’re two beautiful human beings that have lost the ability to fulfill their potential,” Vogel said. “We love you and we have not forgotten you.”
Jawad added that the memorial was “not meant to resolve grief … or send any form of political message.”
“[The vigil’s] aim is mainly to remind our communities … that we can carry difficult moments together, and that showing up for one another matters,” Jawad said.
Following the vigil, attendee William Kiker ’29 said that it is “important to show solidarity” with Brown.
“The last thing we should be thinking about as students is the possibility of something like this ever happening,” Kiker said. “And so when it does, it's important to stand with Brown and stand with others who are facing tragedy.”
Attendee Ariana Thornton ’29 agreed.
“I came to this event to express solidarity with our peers at a fellow Ivy League institution who are dealing with such trauma and tragedy,” she said. “It’s important in times like these to band together and express support and love.”
In an interview following the event, Vogele stressed the importance of coming together in difficult times.
“You can’t take the hurt away, but you can say you don’t stand alone,” she sai
