As many of you know, almost 15 years ago on April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech experienced the deadliest school shooting. 32 people were tragically killed on campus that day and another 17 were injured. From that day on, our campus and many others across the nation were changed. April 16th is a day for us to reflect and mourn those who did not make it through their all four years on this beautiful campus, or to the rest of their lives. April 16th, 2022 was announced as the date of our Spring football game. I, like many others, think that our sporting events bring us together as a community; however, I feel that it is not appropriate or considerate to gather in Lane stadium, take a brief moment of silence, and continue on as if nothing has happened. Another reason I am writing this is that tragedy again struck the town of Blacksburg, this time downtown. I was among the thousands of college students trying to get more information and checking in on my fellow classmates making sure they were okay. At the same time, people were making jokes about the situation or causing more harm by pretending to be VTPD.

We can have a game another time, but I feel that April 16th is a day that should not be messed with. We are HOKIES. We are HOKIE STRONG. We live our lives following Ut Prosim, that I may serve.