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Blazers unite to grieve for victims of Paris and Beirut

Students unite for the victims of both the Paris attacks and Beruit Wednesday night on the front lawn. At least 40 students and faculty gathered for a moment of silence. (Photos Courtesy: Stella Henderson/THE SPECTATOR)

Written by Jyrell Wynn, Staff Writer

VSU students gathered on the front lawn of West Hall Wednesday night to express their sympathies for yet another tragedy.

The event was in response to the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13. More than 120 people were killed in a series of coordinated assaults around the French capital.

About 30 VSU students, faculty and community members, including a family with ties to France, gathered together around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening.

The event began with a moment of silence. Students lit their candles in order to help reflect on the magnitude of the event. Following that, attendees came forward to discuss their feelings about the occurrences in Paris.

Dr. Ofelia Nikolova, a professor of French and one of the organizers of the event, was on hand to encourage attendees to come forward and share their thoughts.

According to Susan Jones, administrative secretary for the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at VSU, several faculty members proposed the event on Monday with the goal of showing support and coming together as a community.

Morgan Blough, a senior French and English major and president of the French Club, felt the incident personally as a French student because of her background in the language and culture.

“We cried, but we’re not afraid,” Blough said. “I think that’s the message that people need to take away from this. This is a sad event. This is tragic, but we have to come away from this stronger.”

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