Four days after a gunman opened fire in a crowded lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five people and himself, Ball State University students have begun to rally support from 300 miles away.
Sophomore Zach Brubaker said he and a friend are organizing a candlelight vigil to support students at Northern Illinois.
"It just kind of came together," Brubaker said. "After Virginia Tech, we did something. It's just kind of something that brought our campus a little bit closer as a community. It's the right thing to do. We just need to show our support and what we're thinking about them."
The vigil is 8 p.m. Wednesday near "Frog Baby," he said, and students are encouraged to wear Ball State clothing.
There will be a banner for people to sign that will be sent to Northern Illinois University, he said. The vigil will also include songs, prayer groups and an open microphone, he said.
Betsy Mills, president of Student Government Association, said the organization began helping Brubaker after he sent her an e-mail requesting help.
"Whenever somebody asks us for anything, we try to get them exactly what they need," Mills said. "A lot of Ball State students, just like with Virginia Tech, were touched by this."
Lynda Wiley, director of Student Life, said her office is also helping organize the vigil by providing candles to attendees.
Beyond mourning those who died during the shooting, Ball State might use the incident to determine what could be done to improve campus security.
Kay Bales, vice president of student affairs, said Ball State's Crisis Management Team would discuss the shooting to determine if any changes need to be made to improve campus safety.
"Certainly they are constantly reviewing our protocols and we will do that to make sure we are as prepared as possible in the event of an kind of emergency on campus," Bales said. "Whenever there are situations that occur outside our campus that may cause us to be concerned, the police [also] make decisions about what they need to do."
Ball State's alert system, which was developed partially in response to the Virginia Tech shooting, Bales said, is functional and could help out during an emergency such as what happened at Northern Illinois.
Ball State is also encouraging students who need help coping with the shooting to contact the Counseling Center, Bales said.
The Counseling Center offers emergency services, she said, and if enough students request special services, the center might have group counseling.
Candle light vigilThere will be a vigil to mourn the victims of the NIU shooting.
Where: Frog BabyWhen: 8 p.m. Wednesday*Students are encouraged to wear Ball State clothing
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