President Maxey shares thoughts in wake of violence at Bridgewater College

Roanoke College President Michael C. Maxey said the following at a gathering on Roanoke's campus Thursday to honor and stand with the victims of a shooting on Bridgewater College's campus on Wednesday.

These are days when we must think about the unthinkable.

We must console the inconsolable.

We must realize the unimaginable.

And we must face the unavoidable.

What must we do about the unthinkable, the inconsolable, the unimaginable, the unavoidable? That is the complex question we face.

But we have one another to help answer that complex question. This is a moment where we come together because we are better together.

This is a moment when we come together with and for our friends, competitors, colleagues and family at Bridgewater.

This is a moment when we are all Bridgewater Eagles, pulling for them with as much fervent support and compassion as we can muster.

This is a moment when we can act. Act with compassion toward others whether they are at Bridgewater or at the next table in the Commons. Act with gratitude to those who protect us. Say thanks to our Campo for defending and protecting us. Sign the card in the Colket Center to remind Bridgewater students that we are thinking of them. Reach out to someone special to your lives and let them know you are thinking of them. Express your concern to a struggling or perplexed fellow student. We can act even while we answer the difficult questions about why and how could this happen.

I know I cannot say much that is helpful, but I do know that together we are better because we care about one another. We are better because we care about a college 90 miles away that is much like our community. We are better because we care about the families that lost their loved ones.

We will be comforted by focusing on what we can do to support someone else.

I thank all of you for being here. It is good to be together in moments like this. Moments that are reminders of why we strive for a sense of belonging with and care about others.

Take good care, Maroons. Go Eagles.