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Texas A&M University Students React to TragedyA huge stack of logs being readied for the school's annual bonfire toppled without warning Thursday, killing twelve people and injuring 27. Tim Hogan, a junior computer engineering major, the service and said it was filled with contemplation and sharing of the Aggie Spirit. "The air was thick with silence, and you could tell that the shock and anger had melted away," he said. "Everyone there only had love and a family spirit." Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen said the day was one of unspeakable grief and sorrow. "No matter how predictable we think life is, none of us knows what the next hour may bring," he said. Rev. Larry Krueger of the Campus Ministers Association, offered his condolences to the large congregation present at the service and described the path the Aggies need to take to overcome grief of such magnitude. Before solemnly departing from the ceremony, a soft hush fell over the crowd, and the distant humming of "Amazing Grace" overtook the audience. They sang together, shoulder-to-shoulder, remembering the fallen Aggies. |
Assaults On Students In Amherst Area ContinueAccording to Amherst College Chief of Campus Police John Carter, the young woman was attacked and suffered a cut. A knife was later found in the area of the alleged assault. "We're looking to see if there's any relation between the events that happened at Amherst and at the University," said Carter. On Sunday, another woman reported being assaulted by three men at UMass. These incidents and a number of other alleged rapes and sexual assaults that have hit the Amherst area in the past two weeks have made the college especially cautious. Amherst students have been using safety rides more frequently. Carter said that Campus Police gave 48 safety rides on Monday night, more than the usual 20 to 30. According to Jim Lyons, spokesperson of Public Safety at UMass, a female student was allegedly grabbed by a man on November 2 at 5:30 p.m. and raped near the Campus Pond. Lyons said that the police were able to record a physical description and sketch a drawing of the man. Last Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., another woman walking along a path near the Student Union Building was allegedly pulled into the bushes and raped. An Amherst student reported that she was chased in Merrill Lot on November 10 around 8:00 p.m. The woman ran to the nearby athletic complex, where she called Campus Police. Both Town Police and Campus Police searched the area but found no one. Prior to this incident, a student was chased across the Valentine Quad on November 4. On Sunday at 9:30 p.m., another woman walking along the path near the UMass Student Union Building was allegedly accosted by three males, one of whom sprayed her with pepper spray. According to Lyons, the men reportedly threw her to the ground and beat her with their fists. She was taken to the University Health Services. The case is being investigated as assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. According to The Daily Collegian, the suspects in the alleged Umass assault on Sunday were reportedly wearing baggy pants. Two of the three were described as white, and one was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and had severe acne. UMass Police are still investigating the incident. UMass has also increased its police and security staffing and has trimmed down the shrubbery on the path near the Student Union, according to Lyon. In addition, UMass will distribute a "shriek" alarm system, which is an air-compressed horn that students can carry with them. According to a letter that UMass Chancellor David Scott sent to the UMass community, the university has also increased security around residence halls and areas around the Campus Pond and Student Union Building. |
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