The entire Drake University community was profoundly shocked
and saddened to learn of the horrific tragedy at Northern Illinois
University. We offer our heartfelt
sympathies to the Northern Illinois family in this time of terrible pain, and
hope that the outpouring of grief and offers of assistance from campuses around
the country provide some solace to those who have lost friends, colleagues and
family members, and to those who were injured in this senseless attack.
Colleges and universities are, by definition, open and
welcoming communities predicated on collegiality, freedom of expression, mutual
respect and support, civility, and an abhorrence of violence. Those characteristics define who we are,
as individuals and as a community, and they define the essence of our vital
role in a democracy. At the same
time, they can make us vulnerable to those who—perhaps driven by illness—commit
acts of unspeakable violence.
It is in these moments that we must cherish all the more the
things that define us, cherish each other for who we are and who we aspire to
become, and recognize that the things that make us vulnerable are also our
greatest strength. To the people
of Northern Illinois University, please know that you are in our thoughts and
our hearts, and that we stand ready to do whatever we can to ease your pain.