Law School Shows its Support for Virginia Tech

Penn State Blue and White Society and Women's Law Caucus host
a social to help raise money for the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

Students signed a banner and left well wishes for the students and factulty of Virginia Tech.

In response to the tragic events that occurred April 16th on the campus of Virginia Tech, Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law Blue and White Society and Women's Law Caucus hosted a social to raise money for the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. The social took place on Monday, April 23rd at Alibis in downtown Carlisle. Students were asked to make a donation as they entered the social and were given the opportunity to buy raffle tickets for a 50/50 drawing and prizes donated by the Penn State University Bookstore. By the end of the social, the Blue and White Society had collected $327 for the memorial fund.

The event's coordinators, Andrea Miller and Melissa Tanguay, were initially worried that it would be difficult to attract students to the social on the last day of classes with an upcoming exam session on everyone’s minds. The two even considered the fact they may have to pay out of their own pockets to finance the event if the turnout was not good. So, to help raise money to host the social, Andrea and Melissa decided to go door-to-door in the Advantica Building to sell 50/50 raffle tickets to the faculty and administrators at the Carlisle campus.

Andrea happily commented on the response the two received when they began soliciting for the raffle: “Much to our surprise, they were so willing to donate to the fund… often without wanting any raffle tickets. Because of their outpouring of support, we raised enough money from the 50/50 to pay for the cost of the event.” The faculty and administration donations allowed the rest of the money that came in during the event to go directly toward the charity fund. Andrea and Melissa were further pleased when students began showing up to the social later that evening, and, before the night had concluded, there was over three hundred dollars in the girls’ orange and maroon donation box.

The event's coordinators Andrea Miller and Melissa Tanguay were initially worried about what kind of a response the law school would give on such short notice.

In addition to hosting the fund raising social, students in Carlisle and University Park signed a large Penn State Dickinson School of Law flag to show their support for the Virginia Tech community. The flag will then be delivered to Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Jonathan Phillips, a second year Penn State Dickinson law student and alumnus from the Virginia Tech’s 2003 graduating class was very impressed with the Law School community’s response. “No matter how many times you hear condolences for what happened at Virginia Tech, every single person’s expression of sympathy is appreciated. But witnessing this kind of support from my own law school is indescribable,” Phillips said.

The Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund was established by Virginia Tech to cover expenses including, but not limited to, grief counseling, memorials, communication expenses, comfort expenses, and incidental needs of those affected by the tragedy.