Following the recent shooting at UNC-Charlotte, the campus’s community has come together to honor the victims.
According to The Charlotte Observer, during UNCC’s commencement, Chancellor Phil Dubois addressed the crowd of graduates on the day of celebration with solemn, discussing how the event changed the atmosphere of the school and influenced the tone of the ceremony.
During the ceremony, 23-year-old Emily Houpt, a student at UNCC who was injured in the attack, walked to receive her diploma and received a standing ovation. During the ceremony, the crowd observed a moment of silence, and the band played “An American Elegy,” which was written to honor the victims of the school shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.
Dubois announced on Friday that the university would honor Riley Howell and Ellis Parlier with degrees posthumously as well as two scholarships in their memory, funded by an anonymous couple, according to CNN. The two students were recognized at the graduation ceremony, and their family members accepted their diplomas on stage.
“This couple has fully funded two permanent UNC Charlotte scholarships totaling $1 million,” Dubois said in the CNN interview. “Each scholarship will enable the spirit and legacy of these men to be present always on this campus.”
A Change.org petition was made after the shooting, calling for the university to rename the soon-to-be completed University Recreation Center to the Howell-Parlier Recreation Center, honoring the two killed. The petition has received over 73,000 signatures.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Dubois said that despite this petition, no certain plans have been laid out.
“There’s no quick fix on how to memorialize,” Dubois said.