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Mars Hill Alumnus Reflects on Virginia Tech
by Carson Byrd
Candles flickered on a table at the front of Broyhill Chapel on Friday, April 20. They had been lit in honor of the victims of a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech the previous Monday. One by one the photographs of each student or teacher killed flashed onto a screen.
About 150 people gathered in the chapel to remember those 33 victims. One victim was the cousin of MHC Junior Joshua Hasty.
Carson Byrd, MHC Class of 2005 and now a graduate student at Virginia Tech, returned to Mars Hill to reflect on the tragedy. He shares those reflections below with the Hilltop.
Monday brought the world to the doorstep of Virginia Tech in a way unimaginable to most. I came here today as a representative of Virginia Tech and to express my appreciation for the comfort and assistance the Mars Hill community offered our university community in this time of great discomfort and grief. I'm also here to share my experiences and a few of my thoughts about the chaos that Virginia Tech has had to endure.
Monday was an incredible combination of adrenaline, fear, hope, sorrow, and confusion. Our lives turned upside down and inside out in an instant. My colleagues and I watched with great sorrow and helplessness as our fellow students and faculty faced their worst fears in the building next door known as Norris Hall. The shear hysteria that took over the campus is unimaginable. I wondered "who is doing this? What exactly is going on?" and the ever-present question of "Why?" Over the past few days I've decided not to ask those questions as no answer can truly quench the thirst of my mind trying to rationalize what happened on our campus.
I wrote in my letter to The Hilltop that these events can happen anywhere. I want to reiterate this point for the simple fact that I want everyone to understand it was not something the individuals at Virginia Tech and Blacksburg did, but something that simply placed them in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That wrong time took away a dear high school friend of mine who had so much to give to the world, as did all those lost. Jarrett will give to this world in other ways that neither he nor anyone else could possibly imagine; his spirit and memory will be the fuel for many lives. Josh lost a cousin not far from Jarrett, and it hurts to know that there is so much lost from one family with the loss of one of its members, let alone thirty-three families dealing with similar emotions and loss.
The memorials on the Drillfield are simple but have an impact unlike anything anyone could ever erect to pay tribute to this event and those we lost or were injured. Boards and pens have been grouped in front of Burruss Hall for those to share their grief and memories. Perhaps some of the most touching writings are those by the friends and families of the students slain in the German class. All messages are addressed to the individuals and all are written in German. There are chunks of Hokiestone laid in a semi-circle representing all those lost. Each stone has a name and gifts and memories placed around them. Most of the trees surrounding and within the Drillfield have orange, maroon, and black ribbons tied around the trunks to mark where the enormous memorial begins.
The convocation was full of emotion, heartache, and hope. Cassell Coliseum was filled to capacity; Lane Stadium held the thousands that needed to hear the words of serenity. English Professor Nikki Giovanni's poem snapped our community back to a reality that some are hesitant to face; we have to establish a good foundation to move on.
Our cheers that ended the convocation were a testament to what our community will accomplish in the wake of this tragedy. These events have led the campus community at Virginia Tech to buckle and drop to its knees looking for mercy. Buckle and fall we did, but only so slightly. Tuesday was a day of remembrance, yes, but it was so much more. We were and still are mourning the loss of our innocence. We were and still are trying to find peace in a world of chaos. And yes, our lives have been changed forever. But we are together, and together we shall stay. We are one Hokie Nation -- our community an extension of our own families, giving hope to those that have none.
Directly following the convocation, Nina and I traveled with a close high school friend and teammate of mine, Lorianne, to her dorm room. We crossed the street from Cassell, traversed the field alongside an enormous Hokiestone building dubbed West AJ. We walked through the foyer and passed the community room, passed the blocked elevators and central stairwell, and ascended a side stairwell to the fourth floor. The air smelled of grief and sorrow, and the walls moaned of loss. I looked to the side as we waited for her to unlock her door and there was the caution tape that marked the site of two lives lost to the Heavens. We helped her gather a few things to take back home and left the place that was the site of so much pain.
Norris is a place of despair that cannot be described other than that. Who knew that a building designed to encourage intellectual growth and understanding could contain so much loss of just that. The windows on the second floor are still open, leaving me with sorrow-laden thoughts of how I wish I could have done something, anything to help my fellow students or possibly prevent what happened.
Nikki's poem at the convocation Tuesday spoke of something we all should look at past this tragedy. Our community encompasses more than Blacksburg, Virginia. It encompasses more than the United States. It encompasses the world. A level of caring and compassion needs to exist between all groups in this world to give support and to foster social growth for all. She's right, there are children dying of AIDS in Africa. There are children looking for clean water in Mexico. And there are natural travesties occurring all over the globe. Reach out and try to create change wherever you are and in any way you can.
Lastly, I want to address what will most likely happen in the coming weeks and years for those of us at Virginia Tech. The graduating seniors and graduate students will walk on May 11 and 12. Jarrett will receive his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering; Austin will receive her bachelor's degree in International Studies; Waleed will receive his doctorate in Civil Engineering; and the rest of those lost will also receive their well deserved degrees. Most of the students will return in the fall to begin another year in Blacksburg and to attend as many football games as possible. There will be students who do not return to Virginia Tech because of the tragedy. Those students are not cowardly, but they are simply finding their peace elsewhere and should be respected for their decision. We will carry the spirits of those lost on Monday with us forever.
Mars Hill lost a friend, a teammate, and a brother nearly four years ago. This community was broken, but has mended its wounds and carried on - a model for Virginia Tech to use today. I leave you with this echo to hold on to, "We will prevail! We will prevail! We will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!"
Thank you, and let's go Hokies.
Click for Carson Byrd's earlier letter from Blacksburg
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