On Thursday, March 16, the Cornell University community suffered the tragic loss of Michelle Evans, 21, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She died as a result of an accident involving a Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) bus at the corner of Wait and Thurston avenues.

In the wake of her death, support sessions for members of the campus community and a memorial service are planned for next week.

A dedicated biology major and Macy Scholar with plans to attend medical school, Michelle was a vibrant member of the 302 Wait Ave. co-op, the Black Bio-medical and Technical Association and the COSEP (Committee on Special Educational Projects) community.

While many students met with Cornell staff following the accident, there are still many others who would like to come together to share their loss and give support to one another. Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy has sent out an all-student e-mail about the scheduling of community support meetings for friends, colleagues, faculty, peers - and even those who did not know Michelle personally - to come together and begin to grapple with the unexpected loss. Meetings are scheduled for Monday, March 27, Tuesday, March 28, and Wednesday, March 29.

For information about these meetings, call Tanni Hall in the Office of the Dean of Students, (607) 255-3608.

Anyone who witnessed the bus accident is encouraged to share information with the Ithaca Police Department, (607) 272-9973, or Cornell University Police, (607) 255-1111. Several charges have been filed against the driver of the bus, and an investigation is continuing.

A memorial service for Michelle Evans has been planned for Thursday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. in Sage Chapel on campus. Out of respect to those attending, no photographing or videotaping will be allowed during the service.

Students are invited to help plan and participate in the service. Information for those who wish to have a role will be available at the community support meetings or by contacting Janet Shortall in Cornell United Religious Work, (607) 255-4214.