Screams of pride to ease the pain

BLACKSBURG, Va. - "Let's go Hokies!" they yelled.

What started as a somber gathering after a tragic massacre ended with students erupting into cheer, a much-needed dose of hope and pride for a beleaguered university.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute held a memorial convocation service yesterday afternoon at the university's basketball arena, one day after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history occurred on campus. Students, family and friends gathered at the arena and the football stadium, where the event was also broadcast.

The line to get into the service stretched for well over a mile, and the eerily silent crowd packed the arena to capacity.

President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush were present at the memorial service, and the President addressed the grieving crowd.

"It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering," Bush said, adding that he hoped the Tech community was aware of the support they were receiving from all across the country.

Other speakers included Tech President Charles Steger and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

English professor Nikki Giovanni offered perhaps the most moving speech, ending with a cadence of, "We will prevail, we will prevail, we will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!"

As if at another Saturday afternoon football game, the crowd cheered along with her in solidarity, offering a standing ovation and taking up the "Let's go Hokies!" chant.

"At first, I was like, is this appropriate?" junior Katie Behm said of the cheering. "And then I was like, yeah, it's appropriate. It's just showing everybody that we're not going to fall down with this."

But despite the budding spirit, reminders of the past day's suffering were unavoidable.

Junior Nick Wilson, for example, received a phone call in the middle of the service informing him of another death.

"Someone called and said that another girl had died that some of the guys knew. I think that's been the hardest thing, just seeing my friends grieving over some people they really care about," Wilson said.

"It's just an utter, deep sadness for them, and you know what you really want to do is hold someone and cry with them and pray with them because those are the things that really matter," he said.

And for sophomore Taylor LaHaye, the memorial helped drive home the reality of the past day's events.

"I'm coming to realize that this is going to define my college career," LaHaye said.

Outside at the football stadium, the field and stands were carpeted in a sea of orange and maroon as students sat together, draped in the school's colors, to watch the service.

Freshmen roommates Sarah Crossett and Cheryl Cordingley came to remember two longtime friends who passed away.

"It's hard for me, having lost two of the people that I went to high school with, but it's nice to be surrounded by people showing their support," Cordingley said.

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