Students Find Ways to Cope With Murder Aftermath: Students turn to Campus Ministries, peers to understand Rex Chao's murder. Christine A. Rowett ---------------------------------- Homewood News and Information The day after a shooting that left one student dead and another charged with his murder, university chaplain Sharon Kugler joined a group of students as they prayed and placed flowers at the site of the killing. "It just happened," Kugler said of the informal gathering on a path outside the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. "It was emotional on many levels. It made it real for those who had not yet been to the spot. For others, it just sort of reignited the shock." Rex T. Chao, 19, a sophomore political science major from Port Washington, N.Y., was killed Wednesday night after attending a College Republicans meeting in Shaffer Hall, where he had been elected chairman of the student group. Baltimore City Police said Robert Harwood, 22, of Bradford, R.I., shot Chao twice after an argument. The two men had been friends for some time before their friendship became strained earlier this year; each had expressed concerns to the university about their relationship, according to dean of student affairs Larry Benedict. Harwood has been charged with first degree murder and unlawful possession of a handgun; a police investigation is continuing. "This is a sad day for the Johns Hopkins community," interim president Daniel Nathans said at a crowded press briefing Thursday. "We're doing all we can to help the police determine how and why this happened." Extended counseling services have been offered by the Counseling Center and the offices of Residential Life, Campus Ministries and Student Affairs. "It's just been a steady stream of students in here," Kugler said. "I'm primarily concerned that they take care of themselves, that they reach out to one another, that they let people take care of them and that they talk through what they're feeling." Kugler said the shooting was particularly troubling to students who normally feel safe in an environment of "collegiality, community and friendship." "I've been struggling with that myself," she said. "Our mortality hit us all right smack in the nose." Rabbi Shira Lander, who serves the Jewish student community through Campus Ministries, said she has advised students not to isolate themselves and to take comfort in each other. Some, she said, have expressed their fears in terms of homesickness. "It is a very scary and very shattering experience," Lander said. "It raises issues of trust and friendship, and that's why it's important for them to be together." Lander said friends of Harwood's have expressed shock at his alleged actions. "They're saying it can't be, the Bob I know wouldn't do something like that," she said. "But sometimes you don't know what people will do. "That's a level of unpredictability that students generally don't have to confront at this age," she said. "It reinforces their sense of precariousness in the world." More than 200 students packed the Great Hall in Levering Thursday for a meeting with Benedict, Nathans, interim provost Steven Knapp and other university officials to ask questions and make comments. Many said they had been bothered by the presence of so many reporters and camera crews on the day after the shooting. "We cannot impede the press from doing their job, but we certainly can assist you," security director Ron Mullen told them, after agreeing to rope off the area where the shooting took place. Students at the meeting also brought up concerns about keeping up with schoolwork in the wake of a tragedy. Benedict, Knapp and other deans decided Thursday evening to postpone exams and deadlines scheduled for Friday. "For many students, this is the first time they've had any kind of death to deal with, let alone a close friend," Benedict said. "It's going to be very difficult for many students to focus over the next couple of weeks." Students who have special concerns should contact his office, he said. "We all recognize that this is a mammoth shock," Steven David, chairman of the Political Science Department, said of the faculty. "Most professors would be sensitive to that. I don't think there will be problems." Benedict said his office has been taking calls from concerned parents. "I try to tell them what I know about the situation: that this was a shocking, unexpected dispute between two individuals and that we are still proud of the safe environment we have developed and continue to support here," he said. "Then I listen to them." Lander said the lack of details about the shooting has been stressful. On Friday, the Security Department issued a report listing specific charges against Harwood; Benedict has said he will organize future meetings with students. "I hope, over the next couple of weeks, more details will become available so we can reassure students," he said. "I'm very hopeful that the police investigation will be completed very quickly." At least three buses were scheduled to leave the Homewood campus at 4:30 a.m. Monday for funeral services for Chao in Port Washington, N.Y. Kugler said the Office of Campus Ministries is working with a group of Chao's friends to plan a memorial service for Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Glass Pavilion. A planning meeting was to be held Sunday evening. "Hopefully, the service will be a way to come together to pray, recall memories and collectively celebrate the gift that Rex was to this university," Kugler said. A Letter From Interim President Daniel Nathans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Students, Faculty and Staff: I am sorry to inform you that one of our undergraduate students, Rex Chao, was fatally shot last night on the Homewood campus. Campus security responded immediately, and another undergraduate, Robert Harwood, Jr., was arrested and subsequently charged with homicide. Apparently, he and Mr. Chao had been friends. To the best of our knowledge, this tragedy was an isolated incident arising from a personal dispute. The entire university mourns Rex Chao's death. A tragedy of this magnitude can lead to widespread grief, anger and depression within the Hopkins community. The Counseling Center and Campus Ministries staff have been available since the incident for anyone who wished to talk with them, and will continue to be available as long as needed. I ask all faculty to be sensitive and responsive to students during this period. Letters are being sent to all members of the university community and parents informing them about this tragic event. If you have concerns, please feel free to contact the Counseling Center at 516-8278, Campus Ministries at 516-8188, or Larry Benedict, Dean of Homewood Student Affairs at 516-7875. Meanwhile, I want to assure you that we will do everything we can to prevent future tragedies of this kind. We place the utmost value on providing a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff. Again, I am sorry to share this tragic news with you. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Rex Chao. Sincerely, Daniel Nathans -----------------------------------------------------------------