Empty

By Ross Boettcher



DeKalb,Ill. — Naturally, when a balloon loses pressure, it deflates. The same laws applied to DeKalb, Illinois after the Thursday, Feb. 14 shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals, including the gunman, Steven P. Kazmierczak.

During our time here on the NIU campus and in DeKalb, there has been one common trend — a lack of student presence.

On Friday, when we first arrived to campus, there was an outpouring of support as students and community members packed the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center to hear speeches from state political figures and Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The vigil and speech, drew more than 3,000 individuals. A mark that put the building over capacity.

But, as the weekend has gone on, dorms, churches and establishments of social activity have been baron, at best.



The Grant Towers Residence Halls sit mostly deserted on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008, at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. Most students went home to be with friends and family. Classes are scheduled to resume on Monday, Feb. 25. Photo: Josh Harrell/Iowa State Daily

As of fall 2007, 25,254 students were enrolled at NIU. Now, compare that to the 24,445 students enrolled at Iowa State University, and things aren't that much different.

On Saturday, we attended a benefit concert at a local watering hole, Otto's, where fewer than 20 individuals attended. The bands scheduled to play publicized the event as a "fund raiser" for the NIU Memorial fund.

Normally, about 1,200 students inhabit each tower of Grant Hall, but on this weekend, only an average of 20 students stuck around, per building, according to the Northern Star, NIU's campus newspaper.

Though a long weekend may have sufficed, a week-long break seemed much more fitting, given the events that have taken place the last few days.

In interviews, we have had gathered mixed feelings— "should I stay? or should I go?" Unfortunately, it seemed as if the people have chosen the latter.

This max exodus of the NIU campus has left events vacant. Gatherings that may have once aided the healing process have been discarded for the comfort of home and family.

During our last night here in DeKalb, we scoured the city for emotion and activity among students. On a day (Sunday) best known for religion and spirituality, all we were able to obtain was a stone wall.

When we arrived at the church that was scheduled to hold a memorial for NIU faculty and staff, we were turned away by pastors, who cited spirituality and peace.

Though I'm sure the professors and staff in attendance would have been willing to talk to us on an individual basis, the simple fact that they were at the religious outpost to seek refuge was a point in itself.

On a coffee table in front of the main sanctuary, there were fliers that documented the recovery process of a violent act and the steps to take when those acts were encountered.

There weren't more than 30 people at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Sunday night, but the emptiness we felt entering the sanctuary, and being turned away was the same as the emptiness felt by those sitting in their dorm rooms alone, thinking of the violence and tragedy that has fallen into their laps.