Brown Memorial Service – Saturday, Feb 7

We are reposting the details of the memorial service for Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, which will be livestreamed this Saturday, February 7 from 4 – 5pm EST. Here is the link: https://livestream.brown.edu/

Here’s a link to campus-wide recovery efforts: https://evertrue.brown.edu/

And, finally, Zack Langaway’s, VP Alumni Relations, message is pasted below:

Dear Fellow Alumni,

The weeks since the terrible tragedy of December 13 have been among the most difficult for the Brown community. Yet, in spending time with Brown students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I am reminded that in moments like this, it is both possible and necessary to hold more than one truth at once. Some in our community continue to carry pain, even as we look toward healing. Many will grieve for who and what we have lost, while also embracing the hope we hold for what lies ahead. Some grapple with uncertainty about what may feel different as we move forward, while we all maintain the steady conviction that, in so many ways, Brown is still Brown.

In these days especially, I find myself wanting to be in the company of Brunonians. This is the community that shaped us, challenged us, and enabled us to live lives of usefulness and reputation. It is also the community that has so often shown up for us with care and presence when it mattered most, in moments of both joy and sorrow.

Across winter break, alumni around the world opened their homes and their hearts, hosting more than 40 student-centered gatherings. From London to Los Angeles, Houston to Seattle, Boston to Singapore, alumni held space for students who wanted to be together. Sometimes that meant quiet conversation, sometimes joyful anticipation of Spring Weekend and other campus traditions — and always the reassurance that they are not alone.

On December 22, more than 800 alumni, parents, and friends gathered with the leadership of the Brown Alumni Association and former University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson for a moment of community reflection. It was deeply meaningful and grounding, offering a sense of collective care and reflection at a time when many of us needed it more than we realized.

As students returned to campus last week, I felt a quiet sense of renewal. Seeing and feeling our community return to campus feels right. And the resilience and generosity of this community will certainly help continue to light our collective path forward. I know we will continue to show up for one another with compassion, patience, and strength. Together, we will navigate grief and complexity, and still make room for the connection, warmth, and joy that we desire and deserve.

Brown is still Brown. And we are still Ever True.

With Care,

Zack Langaway, '09, ScM'27