Pa. universities grieve deaths of fire victims

After a 19-year-old area resident randomly fired five rounds on the HUB lawn in September 1996, leaving one student dead, many Penn State students sought counseling to deal with their grief.

Now, students at Susquehanna and Millersville universities are grieving the loss of several students in Sunday's Miles Township cabin fire, and counselors on campus are preparing to face the situation.

Three victims were current or former Susquehanna students. One victim, Jason Herrold, 20, was a third-year student. David Wiest, 20, was a graduate of Susquehanna and his younger brother, Tobias Wiest, 17, had been taking classes at the university, said Betsy Robertson, director of public relations at Susquehanna University.

"There are an awful lot of ties between the Susquehanna University community and the family and friends of the young people who died," Robertson said.

The 11 people, who retreated to a cabin on Madisonburg Mountain, died early Sunday morning from carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation as a result of a fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Kopf said the cabin fire will impact students more gradually than it would have if the tragedy occurred on campus, as the HUB shooting did. Instead of coming all at once, the pressure slowly increases as more information is made available, he said.

On Sept. 17, 1996, Penn State students had to cope with the death of 21-year-old University student Melanie Spalla after she was killed by a bullet on the HUB lawn. The tragedy, which also left another student wounded, created an increase in counseling needs at the University.

Students who experienced the HUB lawn shooting or other tragedies may be better able to deal with the fire, said Michael Sutton (junior-computer engineering).

"I feel that people who have gone through a (prior) situation can deal with it better," said Sutton, who has previously experienced the deaths of several friends.

Susquehanna University students are not alone in their grief. Another university, Millersville University, is preparing to begin the grieving process.

Robert Thomas, vice president of student affairs at Millersville University, said counseling will be provided for students when they return from spring break Sunday. A memorial service involving students may take place in the future, after the victims' families are contacted by the university, he said.

Two victims, Toni Wehry, who was a 21-year-old junior, and James Giliberti, who was a 20-year-old sophomore, both attended the university. Students who had previously withdrawn from the university, Erik Gray, 20, and Nicholas Berkey, 20, were also killed in the fire.

"There's been quite a reaction, especially in their (hometown) community," Thomas said. "This is a terrible tragedy."

In Northumberland County, a memorial service organized by religious organizations is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at Line Mountain High School, where some of the victims either graduated from or attended, said the Rev. J. Robert Snyder of Zion Stone Valley Church of Dalmatia.

Amanda Wehry, 17, Tyrone Wehry, 23, and Chad Hain, 20, who were all residents of Dornsife, and Kip Snyder, 17, who was from Dalmatia, also died in the fire.