Last Friday afternoon, a student initiative to hold a memorial service came to fruition. The service was designed to pay tribute to the students who lost their lives during the past school year.

The Daily Collegian commends the students who pushed for the service, despite the university's initial wariness about an official memorial.

For those who lost someone dear to them over the past year, the service may have played a part in coming to a sense of closure about their loss. It showed that Penn State students and administrators cared about their children, classmates or friends -- that they were not just a number at this university.

The 2001-2002 school year brought an unusual amount of loss to the Penn State community. Student members of the Undergraduate Student Government and Black Caucus felt that something should be done to commemorate the lives of the deceased.

Unfortunately, in March, Vice President of Student Affairs William Asbury sent an e-mail to former USG president Justin Zartman, indicating this event seemed unlikely because the Office of Physical Plant and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments showed no indication of support.

The misunderstandings regarding the memorial were ironed out and the student organizers of the memorial were free to continue with their plans.

The memorial service was held for the families and friends of the 27 students who passed away this year. The service was followed by the dedication of a tree and plaque in the southeast corner of the HUB lawn. Families of the deceased students received red oak saplings.

Hopefully, the service and the dedication was beneficial to the friends and family of the students who died this year. We are glad that members of USG and Black Caucus gave up their time to create a healing ceremony.

We are also pleased that the university came around and realized the good that a service could do and eventually supported the efforts to create such a service.