Dear NC State and Carolina Communities:

As we have come together during the past week to grieve the loss of Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Abu-Salha, we have been inspired by their incredible life stories – recounted with grace and resilience by their family and friends.

As our own campus communities came together in vigils Wednesday and Thursday, and in so many other displays of love and support over the past week, we have also been heartened by your compassion and respect for one another. Collectively, it has been an incredible testimony to the strengths of our shared university communities.

At the vigil on the Carolina campus, we were joined by NC Central Chancellor Debra Saunders-White and Duke’s Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Moneta as they brought students from their campuses to join ours in an outpouring of love and support. Students and community members from Chapel Hill and around the region came to NC State the following evening to honor and celebrate the lives of Deah, Yusor and Razan. We would like to thank everyone who has stood with us during this difficult time.

To those in the NC State and UNC Muslim Student Associations, as well as the broader Muslim community, we know this tragedy has been especially trying for you. We will continue to care for you in all that we do and strive to build on the response to this tragedy as a way to bring us all closer together.

To all in our campus communities, we encourage you to honor the memories of Deah, Yusor and Razan by following their examples of working to make the world a better place. We also ask you to join us in our ongoing efforts to ensure Carolina and NC State are communities that always value inclusion, respect, tolerance and equality for people of all faiths, ethnicities and perspectives.

We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the many campus organizations and support staff who worked around the clock to make the campus vigils, funeral service and other events possible. We also would like to thank the Chapel Hill Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Attorneys office and other law enforcement agencies for their tireless work. We ask everyone to remain patient as the investigation continues.

Thousands of us gathered on our campuses last week to remember and celebrate the lives of three young people who showed compassion for all humanity. Let us continue to honor them by respecting each other in our words and our deeds.

Sincerely,

Randy Woodson, NC State Chancellor

Carol L. Folt, UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor