UNL will hold a “Red Memorial” to celebrate the lives of students who died during the current academic year. The service is 9 p.m. April 10 at Broyhill Fountain on the Nebraska Union Memorial Plaza.
The group memorial is a first for UNL, which has held individual services for campus in the past. Matt Hecker, dean of students, said annual memorial services for students who have died are commonplace at other universities.
The Red Memorial was spurred by a conversation with parents, Hecker said.
“We felt that it would be meaningful for the university to recognize (the students’) passing,” Hecker said. “This event is not meant to take the place of funerals or memorial services. It’s designed to be a short, but meaningful celebration of the lives of these seven students.”
Students who will be remembered are Carly Cannon, Cooper Flanagan, Evan Heyen, Keaton Klein, Chase Miller, Zachary Miller, Clayton Real and Amir Vafa.
The memorial service is non-denominational and will include a brief introduction; reading of the students’ names; a song by a UNL choral group; a brief meditation by Adam White, a pastor at UNL’s Lutheran Center; a balloon release; and lighting of Broyhill Fountain.
The memorial service is free and open to the public.
For more information on the Red Memorial, contact the Dean of Students office at 402-472-2021.
