UNC Charlotte Day of Remembrance

Dear UNC Charlotte Community,

Precisely one year ago on this day, just before 6 p.m., I was sitting on a flight to Indianapolis for a meeting of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. When we passed 10,000 feet, I logged onto our campus web page and saw the unthinkable words: “Run, Hide, Fight.” Many of you saw them, too.

We all know that the worst day in the history of UNC Charlotte was April 30, 2019. There are no words to capture the impact of the devastating losses suffered by the families and friends of Riley Howell and Reed Parlier, who lost their lives that day; the serious injuries experienced by Drew Pescaro, Emily Houpt, Rami Alramadhan, and Sean DeHart; the trauma experienced by dozens of students and the faculty member, Adam Johnson, who fled the Kennedy classroom; and the fear experienced by hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and others locked down on campus for hours while loved ones watched the horrifying news.

On that day, and in the days and weeks that followed, we also witnessed the tremendous outpouring of support from Charlotte, the greater region, the state of North Carolina, and from others across the country and the world. Even those who were not part of the Niner Nation family reached out and embraced us with support in so many ways: cards, letters, flowers, candles, and public demonstrations of compassion — which provided the strength our University community needed.

That community response was one of the motivating factors for us to organize a Day of Remembrance with campus reflection events and a concert performance at the Blumenthal Center for the Performing Arts. In the reaffirming spirit of the arts, the Charlotte Symphony and the talented students, faculty, staff of UNC Charlotte’s performing and fine arts departments worked for months preparing for the remembrance event, which would have been held tonight. However, as you know, the continuing battle against the spread of COVID-19 resulted in its cancellation.

Unfortunately, under the circumstances, we are also not able to conduct any on-campus remembrance plans together, but that doesn’t mean that this day will have any less meaning.

Throughout the day, we invite you to engage on our UNC Charlotte social media channels to show your support and demonstrate the strength of Niner Nation. And, late this afternoon, we will host a virtual event, “United: A Remembrance Program,” to pay tribute and honor the lives lost and all those affected on April 30, 2019.

We will hear from Student Body President Chandler Crean and Student Body Vice President Adela Mann, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Kevin Bailey and a special appearance from CBS News correspondent and alum, Don Dahler ’91. In addition, we will present an artistic video and musical work from faculty members Jeff Murphy and John Allemeier, and musical performances by “Water From Fire” featuring alumni John Woodall ’14 and Kevin Brawley ‘13. You can view more program details, including the participant biographies on the NinerNationRemembers site.

Please join us at 5:10 p.m. tonight for “United: A Remembrance Program,” which will be livestreamed and made available on our UNC Charlotte Facebook and Twitter channels. I hope this program, which ends at approximately 5:40 p.m., the time of last spring’s tragedy, supports all affected by the events and reaffirms the enduring spirit of Niner Nation.

Sincerely,

Philip L. DuboisChancellor