The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Graduate Student Assembly and LGBTQA+ Resource Center will host a candlelight vigil to mourn the victims of and show solidarity for those affected by the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
The vigil is 6 to 7 p.m. June 13 on the Nebraska Union Plaza. Organized by UNL’s Graduate Student Assembly and the LGBTQA+ Resource Center, the vigil is free and open to the public. In the event of rain, the vigil will be held in the Nebraska Union’s Crib room.
“This event is about a community showing support for the victims, families and everyone impacted by what happened in Orlando,” said Pat Tetreault, director of LGBTQA programs and services within UNL’s Office of Student Involvement.
The vigil will include a moment of silence, speakers and a song by Sandra Washington.
Speakers will include Mayor Chris Beutler, Rev. Karla Cooper, chaplain and coordinator of service programs at Doane College; Rev. Steve Griffith, retired pastor at Lincoln’s St. Paul United Methodist Church; and Lauren Segal, a graduate student in plant pathology and Graduate Student Assembly representative; and Ayat Aribi, diversity and inclusion chair for UNL’s Association of Students of the University of Nebraska.
Segal and Ignacio Correas, president of the UNL Graduate Assembly and a graduate student in veterinary medicine and biomedical services, worked with Tetreault to organize the vigil.
For more information on the event, click here.
Following the UNL vigil, The Commons LNK will hold a benefit concert for the victims of the Orlando shooting. The concert will feature four bands — Imaginary Hockey League, For the Birds, Hiraeth, and The Edge Of — and begins at 7 p.m. All funds raised will benefit the Florida LGBTQA group that is providing support to victims of the mass shooting. For more details, click here.
UNL students in need of additional support, can contact the University Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services office. The CAPS program offers a variety of mental health resources. For more information, call 402-472-7450 or click here.
UNL’s LGBTQA+ Resource Center also offers a support group to students. The group’s next meeting is 3 p.m. June 14 in Benton Hall, Room 118.
For more information on LGBTQA+ resources offered at UNL, send email to lgbtqa@unl.edu or go to http://involved.unl.edu/lgbtqa.
