To mark the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11, the Residence Hall Association and the Student Association will hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday night at the Ellicott Complex.
The service begins at 9 p.m. at Moody Terrace in the Richmond and Red Jacket Loop, with candles provided by SA, and is open to anyone who would like to attend.
"Students need the opportunity and a forum to communicate the way they are feeling with other students who feel the same way," said SA President Christian Oliver.
Jamie Decter, a sophomore communication major, attended last year's vigil and was moved by the experience. She said she is eager to attend Wednesday night's ceremony.
"It gave me the impression that people can be so compassionate," said Decter. "Even in the mass, I felt like everyone was a single person, a single feeling."
Sophomore Brad Robbins, biology major, felt the events of Sept. 11 and the vigils that followed strengthened relationships on and off campus.
"I actually found that for the most part, it united the school," said Robbins. "I remember walking around seeing people with their heads down and just talking to them, trying to cheer them up, or give them someone to talk to or just let them know that people are there for them."
RHA Treasurer Christopher Gorri said that last year's vigil attracted more than 500 students, filling the Ellicott Bowl to the point where it was spilling out of its sides.
Last year, RHA did not have enough candles for all of the attendants. Consequently, the students passed candles around, holding the available candles for a few minutes before passing them on to the next person, according to Gorri.
"To watch the way people acted around each other and treated each other," said Gorri, ". showed true humanism, of how kind people can be."
This year, SA ordered 2,000 candles, expecting a high turnout.
Like last year's ceremony, Wednesday's vigil will be a public forum and RHA and SA invite students and members of the community to share stories and tributes, said Gorri.
Last year, he said, students poured out to tell their stories and he left with a feeling of UB's strength and solidarity.
"I think that 75 percent of the people were in tears," said Gorri. "You went away knowing that you weren't the only one experiencing this. It was very powerful."
There is no set time limit on the event, Gorri said.
For more information, contact RHA at 645-3872 or SA at 645-2950.
