A variety of activities and opportunities for reflection will be held as Virginia Tech holds its 2012 Day of Remembrance on Monday, April 16.

Virginia Tech will hold classes on April 16 for the first time since 2007. In 2009, the University Steering Committee for the April 16, 2009, Day of Remembrance recommended that the regular class schedule resume in 2012 and on all subsequent class days that fall on April 16. The committee further recommended that special remembrance events continue to be planned for April 16 regardless of the day of the week.

The 2012 Day of Remembrance will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, April 16, with the ceremonial candle lighting at the April 16 Memorial located in front of Burruss Hall. Events will continue throughout the day until the ceremonial candle is extinguished at 11:59 p.m.

The traditional 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance, will be held on Saturday, April 14. This event will begin at 8 a.m. on the Drillfield near War Memorial Gym. Runners or walkers may participate in the event. To register, visit the Department of Recreation Sports website. Once registered, participants will be asked to check in on Friday, April 13, between 4 and 8 p.m. or on Saturday from 6 to 7:30 a.m. in War Memorial Gym.

Also on Monday, a community picnic will be held on the Drillfield beginning at 11:30 a.m.. Food from local vendors will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring additional food and picnic blankets if possible.

The University Commemoration and Candlelight Vigil will start at 7:30 p.m. at the April 16 Memorial. 

Throughout the day on Saturday, April 14 and Monday, April 16, "Expressions of Remembrance" events will be held. A complete list of these events may be found on the 2012 Day of Remembrance website.

Some of the Expressions of Remembrance events include

  • Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention open house;
  • Remembrance Through the Arts Showcase; and the
  • “Healing Through Art” art exhibit.

The 2012 Day of Remembrance is being organized by the April 16 Student Planning Committee made up of representatives from 10 student groups and an at-large member from the student body. Organizations represented on the planning committee are the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Council of International Student Organizations, Graduate Student Association, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, Residence Hall Federation, Student Alumni Associates, Student Government Association, Students Against Violence, and Virginia Tech Union.

Parking and vehicular access will be restricted on the Drillfield throughout the day on Monday. The Drillfield will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday morning to accommodate the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance. There will be no new parking on the Drillfield after 10 p.m. on Friday, April 13.

Details on all 2012 Day of Remembrance events will posted to the We Remember website. A link to this website can be found by clicking on the memorial ribbon located in the upper right hand corner of the university homepage.

Free public parking for all Saturday events is available in the Perry Street lots and parking garage, located off Prices Fork Road. On Monday, free public parking will be available at the Smithfield Lot off Duck Pond Drive.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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