When press reports hinting that two among the 50 victims of the weekend's fatal assault in an Orlando-based gay club were students surfaced online, it immediately sparked discussions in US Universities that have been on the vigil after the incident.
Vincent J. Intondi, a professor who until recently instilled knowledge in Florida, took to his Twitter handle Sunday to express his fears. Intondi was just one among several others from the academic community to think about the victims of Sunday morning mass assault at a gay club in Orlando, InsideHighered reported.
I am dreading seeing the victim list. I taught so many students at Seminole State, knew many more at UCF. #Orlando
— Vincent J. Intondi (@VincentIntondi) June 12, 2016
Although only a few have been identified by the investigators, press reports indicated two among them were students: Juan Ramon Guerrero and Luis Velma.
According to Guerrero's family members, he had just started attending the University of Central Florida. His family members told the Associate Press that the 22-year-old was extremely happy to attend the university. Luis Velma, 22, on the other hand worked at Universal Orlando, and was attending Florida-based Seminole State College. He aspired to become an EMT, TheOrlandoSentinel reported.
In a statement released Sunday just before victims started to be identified, John Hitt, president of University of Central Florida described the attack on the club as extremely painful, frieghtening and provoking for many at the institute. He also pointed out in the statement that he expected many of the victims to have some sort of connection with the people at the university.In a bid to help those affected by the Orlando shooting, the university will be offering additional police services and consultation.
UCF police officers were quick to respond to the reports of shootings at the gay club in Orlando. Although the university noted in a statement that no threats have made against the institute yet, police presence will boosted. In addition, the university's LGBTQ Services office will remain open throughout the week for students seeking support after the Orlando shooting incident.While it seems that the attacker specifically targeted the LGBTQ community, investigators are still learning about the assault.
Several other Orlando-based colleges took to social media to announce extra support for students affected by the Orlando shooting.
