Fresno State remembers Virginia Tech victims

California State University, Fresno joined in the National Moment of Silence at 9:45 a.m. today during a memorial service that included the reading by two Virginia Tech alumni of the names of the 32 students and faculty killed last week.

Dr. Maria Sanchez and Dr. Ira Sorenson, members of the Virginia Tech Class of 2002 who are now mechanical engineering professors at Fresno State, joined President John D. Welty and students at the memorial in the Free Speech Area.

Welty urged participants at the event, “Virginia Tech – Remember, Discuss, Prepare,” to “come together on our own campus.”

Sanchez, wearing a maroon Hokies jacket, also participated in the dedication of a memorial planting in front of the Henry Madden Library following the tribute.

The faculty members – she from Bogotá, Colombia, and he from Selma, 20 miles south of Fresno – met at Virginia Tech while participating in a thermal radiation project and were married in Blacksburg, Va., in 2001. The pair both earned master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. They joined the Fresno State faculty in 2003.

A forum preceded the tribute with information about the tragedy’s impact on Fresno State, counseling services available on campus and what the university does to maintain security and safety. Students, faculty and staff had an opportunity to air concerns and ask questions.

Audience questions expressed concerns about mental health services throughout the community and campus communications procedures in case of emergencies. Dr. Gena Gechter, Fresno State’s Psychological Services director, explained the free services available to students to deal with the tragedy. The campus Women’s Resource Center also is offering assistance.

A banner is available through Wednesday for people to sign, along with materials to make cards expressing personal thoughts, all of which will be sent to Virginia Tech. Carnations in the Hokies school colors, maroon and orange, adorned the stage with cards bearing the victims’ names. The flowers were placed on the memorial garden at the end of the event.

The event was presented by University Student Union Productions and the Division of Student Affairs for students, faculty, staff and the community, as part of the National Moment of Silence declared by Virginia Tech on Friday.