It didn’t take long for the ripples of Monday’s shootings in Blacksburg, Va., to reach Denver and Regis University sophomore Kyle Hudencial.
Sitting in a classroom, he heard from a classmate who received a text message by mobile phone before news reports. Hudencial’s first thoughts were concern over his friends enrolled there.
“Thankfully, everyone I know there is safe, but it shows how this affects more than just people in Virginia,” he said.
Hudencial was among 40 or so Regis students and faculty to gather at their campus chapel to pray for the victims at Virginia Tech and the victims’ families. Hudencial, who donned a Virginia Tech sweatshirt and cap, was one of the few people who had even heard of Blacksburg and the technical school that, until Monday, had been known more for its football team.
Regis held a short interfaith prayer service and offered campus counselors for students dealing with grief or fear.
Sister Peg Maloney, director of Campus Ministry, said many in their campus community had been saddened by the day’s tragedy.
“A friend of mine, his son was killed at the Columbine massacre, and this really did bring back a lot of feelings for me and for others that this can’t be happening again,” Maloney said.
Emily Dufficy, 20, a sophomore, said word spread fast around campus and that it became the main topic of conversation in some of her classes.
“The confusion sets in where we tried to make sense of why things like this happen,” Dufficy said. “We really need to recognize why situations like this continue to happen.”
Some at Regis tried to keep things in perspective.
Maria Foy, 22, a senior, said fear hadn’t crossed her mind but rather sadness.
“I feel very safe at my campus,” Foy said. “I don’t think this is necessarily something that we can expect to happen at other campuses regularly.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
Area alumni plan vigil
The Virginia Tech Denver Alumni Board plans to hold a memorial service for victims of the shootings at 7 tonight at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave., Cherry Hills Village. Area alumni were notified of the service in a message to the organization’s list server, according to webmaster Lee Ann Horneck.
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