Students going to class on Monday will notice a void in King Memorial Commons.

The eight memorial boards and other outdoor materials put up since the Feb. 14 shootings are being removed this weekend so they can be properly preserved and archived, according to a Thursday press release.

In the press release, Dr. Brian Hemphill, vice president for Student Affairs, attributed the removal to weather.

“Although the decision to remove these pieces has been a difficult one, the weather has taken a toll on the boards and other memorials and we want to preserve these pieces that document students’ thoughts, prayers and well wishes,” Hemphill said in the release. “If left to the elements any longer, the tokens of remembrance would deteriorate and the written reflections would fade or disappear.”

Caleb Yeaton, a senior English major, believes the boards are a way for students to publicly cope with their grief but agrees they should be taken down.

“It’s a good idea if they’re getting weather–beaten,” Yeaton said. “Especially if they’re going to be putting them up [later].”

The boards will be removed this weekend and preserved in the University Archives.
In lieu of the memorial boards, NIU has established a memorial center until a permanent memorial is created, said the press release.

The memorial center, which opens Monday in Altgeld Hall, will have videos and photo displays from vigils and memorials. Students will also have the opportunity to leave thoughts and messages in a memorial journal.

“I think it’s great they’re giving students a place to go to express their feelings,” Yeaton said.
Mashonda Daniels, junior public health major, believes the memorial center will be a great way for NIU to preserve memories.

“It keeps [the memories] alive so it doesn’t pass over,” Daniels said. “It’s always a constant reminder of what happened on that day and how we need to come together as a community.”

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