As bells chimed softly from Shafer Tower Friday night, studentsand local residents assembled at the University Green. Holdingsmall white candles, they bowed their heads in silence to reflecton the life of Michael McKinney.
A 21-year-old Ball State junior from Bedford, Michael McKinneywas a marketing major at Ball State's Miller College of Business,as well as a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.
Student Government Association President Jayson Manship said heappreciated the members of the Ball State and Muncie communitieswho attended the candlelight vigil to show their respect forMichael McKinney.
Douglas McConkey, the vice president for student affairs andenrollment management, said the respect Michael McKinney showed toothers while he was alive will never be forgotten.
"(Michael McKinney) was missed by more people than he ever couldhave imagined," McConkey said. "He'll have a legacy despite hisbrevity of life. We'll all treasure life a little bit more becauseof his tragic passing."
Several members of Delta Chi also reflected on MichaelMcKinney's legacy, emphasizing that the love he shared witheveryone around him will last forever.
"We don't need to say goodbye," Delta Chi member Phil Juskevicesaid. "We know he's always with us."
Delta Chi member Mike Stumpe said the number of people who tookthe time to attend the vigil demonstrated the honor the communitywill always have for Michael McKinney.
"It shows what kind of person Michael McKinney was and still istoday," Stumpe said.
McKinney's parents and three siblings have organized a greenribbon campaign in his memory. Katie McKinney, Michael McKinney'solder sister, said the purpose of the campaign is not only to honorher brother, but to ensure that what happened to him will not occuragain.
"We can never ever have justice for this situation," she said."Our mission is to make sure this doesn't happen again to any otherfamily."
McConkey said Michael McKinney's death has especially emphasizedthe importance of making student safety a priority at BallState.
"I believe our university will be a safer place for otherpeople," McConkey said. "Many will have a renewed commitment tomake it that way."
Tim McKinney, Michael McKinney's father, said his son's deathshould encourage people to cherish life while they can. Michaelwould want everyone to enjoy life and to make the most out of it,Tim McKinney said.
"Mike would have said to look at life with a keener sense, witha higher sense of value," he said.
Ryan McKinney, Michael McKinney's older brother, said he wantedeveryone to remember Michael McKinney as a man who demonstrated howmuch he cherished life.
Michael McKinney not only had an infectious laugh, but he had atendency to sing Guns N' Roses songs, even when people around himdid not want to hear him sing, Ryan McKinney said as members of thecrowd laughed.
Michael McKinney's morality and sensitivity, however, should beremembered all the more, he said.
"He was a guy worth remembering, and you can't say that abouteverybody," Ryan McKinney said.
As students and local residents blew out their candles after thevigil, many embraced one another, and several wiped away tears.
Delta Chi member Scott Clark said despite the controversy thathas risen over Michael McKinney's death throughout the past week,the vigil allowed the community to unite with one purpose, to honorMichael McKinney's life.
The vigil gave many people a sense of fulfillment, Clarksaid.
"For a lot of people who couldn't make it to (MichaelMcKinney's) funeral (Wednesday)," he said, "this was theirclosure."
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