UNLV students have spent a year making 4,000 origami cranes to honor three professors lost in a mass shooting on campus last year. Rin Ruby, a graduate student, said the project "It just evolved naturally" as more people joined. The cranes will be arranged to spell "UNLV" as a tribute. Rin Ruby said, "Wherever they may be, know that so many people care about them," according to FOX5 Vegas.
On Friday at 11 a.m., the university will hold a reflection event at the Alumni Amphitheater. Along with a crane display in the Beam Hall courtyard, six new murals will be shown to help with healing after recent violence. The project began with a few students planning to fold 1,000 cranes, but quickly grew to over 200 participants, as reported by UNLV News.
Beam Hall now features six murals created by student and faculty artists. These murals, along with the paper cranes inside, are part of an effort to redefine the building’s significance. Bryan Blankfield, an Honors College professor, explained that the memorials were student-led and aimed at supporting the community. "This is giving us an opportunity to heal together, be one together," he said. The 4,000 cranes honor the deceased and also recognize Daraboth "Bot" Rith, the injured economics professor, as noted by UNLV News.
