PSU students honor France at Old Main vigil

In the midst of death and destruction dealt by terrorists in Paris, Penn State senior Justin Rongier turned to celebration of French culture to honor those fallen and affected by the attacks.

Rongier, the president of the Penn State French Club and a native of the country, enjoyed French cuisine with other members after he found out his family was unharmed. The decision to carry out the club’s once-a-semester celebration Friday night, he said, was to continue living as they normally would instead of being instilled with fear.

He hoped that Tuesday night’s vigil at Old Main — for victims of attacks in Paris, Beirut, Nigeria and Baghdad and for those displaced and harmed in the earthquakes in Japan and Mexico — carried an even deeper meaning.

“I’m guilty to a point of getting angry and wanting to point fingers and come to rushed conclusions,” Rongier said. “This event, though, is about bringing the international community together and realizing we are better than what the guys want us to be. We will show humanity, put aside political differences and show that we are one.”

Penn State freshman Brandon Sullivan came up with the idea for the vigil and created a Facebook page for it, which received 1,600 RSVPs.

“On Friday, Nov. 13th, 2015, the world was set on fire, (and) on Tuesday, Nov.17th we will have a vigil as a symbol for international peace and cooperation,” he wrote on the event page. “We must not forget to honor those lost. I hope as many as possible can attend in an effort to support international peace and all those suffering from Friday’s horrific events.”

Sullivan encouraged students to bring candles, or at least cellphones, for the vigil. He also asked people to bring flags of different nations. He wondered last week if he might lose faith in humanity, but was gripped with confidence in it at the vigil.

“I’m sick of seeing the worst in humanity, and I think we need to show people the best of it from all sides,” Sullivan said. “It’s important, since this is about international peace and cooperation, that we get a lot of perspectives regardless of religion, race or where you come from.”

Penn State students like junior Mustafa Ali, president of the Muslim Student Association, spoke about choices people could make.

One, he said, would be easy, to give into the hate and fearmongering of terrorists.

“You have another path, and I’m proud to say most of here today are probably on this path,” Ali said. “It’s not the easy journey. We’re going to stumble, struggle and fall, but always get back up. That’s because along this path, along this journey, you have faith.”

He said compassion, an attribute unrestricted by someone’s background, would pick people back up.

“It’s compassion that allows us to see the fragments of good,” Ali said. “It allows us to see the fragments of hope in this world, which seem to be eclipsed an endless cycle of tragedy, an endless cycle of violence and loss of life. It’s compassion that allows us to be good.”

Aya Bseiso, a junior and member of the University Park Undergraduate Association At-Large Students for Representative Justice in Palestine, said terrorism has no religion or ethnicity.

“The Middle East is facing a lot of violence right now, and I grew up in that violence,” she said. “No one wants to live in a world like that. My heart goes out to Paris, to all of those in Nigeria, to all of those in Syria and Iraq whoa re facing so much unimaginable violence. I’m so proud to be a part of a community that comes together to unite and show solidarity.”

Turskish Student Association member and junior Ugur Pakoz said his hometown has experienced terrorism. He also visited a refugee camp where thousands of people — parents and children, doctors and teachers — escaped terrorism in Syria.

“It doesn’t matter where we come from or what we believe in, but what matters is that we care about the lives of the innocent and condemn the actions that sabotage freedom,” Pakoz said.

Rongier felt terrorists had not won.

“These radicals have set out to crush and divide us,” he said. “They have done quite the opposite. They have brought about continued resilience amongst us, and as I look out at Old Main I see we are stronger than ever before ... Together, we are Penn State. We are Paris. We are Beirut. We are Ankara. We are Bagdad. We are all of the citizens of the world suffering from tragedy. We are a true representation of humanity.

Penn State has eight students studying in France, two in Paris, and confirmed all were safe.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 10:45 AM with the headline "PSU students honor France at Old Main vigil."