The Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center (IFC) held a memorial service for Austin Rottier before friends, family and the Hopkins Catholic cmmunity on Thursday, April 6.
Immediate family members played an instrumental role in organizing the memorial service. ensuring that they were able to speak about their loss.
Friends from Hopkins and Rottier's hometown came together to commemorate his life and his most admirable traits. A video portraying the highlights of his life and his veracity of spirit was featured and is currently available for purchase from the Interfaith Center.
A large portion of the Hopkins-Loyola chapter of the National Society of Pershing Rifles (PR), a national honor society and fraternal organization, was in attendance. Many of them told stories about Rottier's bravery and sense of adventure, referencing kayaking trips and mountain climbing excursions where Rottier was always the one to "take the first step into the unknown."
Rottier's sister, Emily Rottier, a sophomore at University of Richmond, constructed picture collages of her brother showing them both from childhood to college.
One of the individuals who spoke in memory of Rottier was fellow senior Robert Velasco who recounted some fond memories.
"I knew him from Intro Chemistry Lab and was lucky enough to have him as my partner during all those frustrating, patience-tiring three hour labs. While waiting for our experiments to go awry we'd often recall Family Guy scenes or describe the quirky tendencies of our respective roommates," he said.
Father Tom Ryan, leader of the Catholic Community at Hopkins, spoke warmly of the faith and perseverance that the Rottier family was exhibiting through this "time of doubt and uncertainty."
University Chaplain and Director Campus Ministries Sharon Kugler said, "I was very impressed with those who came forward to speak about their pain. This is an essential, but extremely difficult, part of the healing process. I was happy to see so many people coming forward."
A personal touch was added to the ceremony as senior Justin Bristow read 'Footsteps on the Heart,' symbolizing the impact that Rottier had on the lives of "everyone present."
Fellow ROTC and PR member senior Jenna Parkinson concluded the ceremony with a personal tribute to Rottier. She commented, "When I was thinking about possibly singing at the memorial service for Austin, I was worried that he might think I was being sappy. But then I realized he would probably just laugh at me anyway, and I felt better about it."
"It was very important to Austin's father that we played the song 'On Eagle's Wings' during the service," Kugler said. "Because it was Austin's favorite hymn and it sums up his dedication to God and country."
While the memorial service brought closure to the some of those closest to Rottier, there is still lingering concern about why an individual many respected as "loyal, brave and dedicated" took his own life on Wednesday, March 29.
His death has left some members of the school community to question whether or not Hopkins as an institution does enough to outreach to potentially suicidal students.
"Its ridiculous that there have been so many student suicides in the past few years," freshman Oleh Romaniw said. "But then again, if you get a good look at D-Level it's not all that surprising either."
"We cannot blame the University for this tragedy," Kugler said. "Each year the Counseling Center helps hundreds of student work their way difficult times. It is so hard in the face of this tragedy to recognize that sometimes you just can't see what is beneath the surface."
"Austin was part a very close knit-group of campus. The ROTC program and the Perishing Rifles are some of the most support individuals at Hopkins, and it goes to show that if there is a sadness into a person that others cannot reach there is very little an institution like the University can do to the remedy the situation," Kugler concluded.
