In response to UR Dining Services employee Latasha Shaw’s death on Saturday, Sept. 29, faculty, staff and students found a number of different ways to remember her and help her loved ones.
Counselors and chaplains gathered for two hours on Thursday, Oct. 4 in the Interfaith Chapel. They offered their services to people who wished to give extra support or wanted a chance to reflect.
A Memorial and Candlelight Vigil was held in the Main Sanctuary of the Interfaith Chapel on Thursday, Oct. 11, where her friends and co-workers gathered together to remember her.
Shaw’s co-workers in Dining Services sponsored a free shuttle bus that ran from the IT Center to the Metropolitan Funeral Home during Shaw’s calling hours.
Finally, Sigma Chi Fraternity teamed up with the Medical Emergency Response Team to create a fund in Shaw’s memory. They set up a booth in Wilson Commons where they gave out black ribbons and collected money. The funds were donated to Shaw’s four children.
Sophomore Ross Nachbi, a member of MERT, said that his group wanted to stop the situation from getting any worse.
“She left four children,” he said. “You want to help out any way you can.”
Nachbi believed that the tragedy, along with the fundraisers and events, would help bring attention to the crimes that occur in the inner city.
“More publicity should be brought to what goes on in the city of Rochester,” he said.
Dean of Students Jody Asbury and Arun Gandhi wrote a letter to the campus community detailing all of the events. The letter included a message about non-violence.
“As we consider the model that Latasha offers us of human care and resistance to violence, may we find ways to rededicate ourselves to these ideals,” the letter read.
Wrobel is a member of the class of 2010.
