Minghui Yu

Today at noon the University will hold a memorial in the Low Library Rotunda for Minghui Yu, the 24-year-old statistics graduate student who was tragically killed by a car while fleeing an assault earlier this month.

A week after arriving in New York, the parents of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Minghui Yu are struggling to cope with the sudden death of their 24-year-old son and to arrange a memorial service in his honor.

The parents of Minghui Yu—the 24-year-old graduate student whose death shocked Columbia’s campus and garnered widespread media attention just over a week ago—arrived in New York Thursday evening and met with University President Lee Bollinger Friday.

The 14-year-old male charged with assaulting a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, who killed by a passing car Friday night, was arraigned in Family Court Thursday afternoon.

With the approval of their travel visas, the parents of Minghui Yu, the 24-year-old graduate student killed tragically Friday evening, are now set to fly from China to New York this weekend as Columbia students and administrators begin to plan their son’s memorial service. “This case broke all of our hearts and brought the Columbia University community and the city together,” Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a press release.

Daniel Amzallag discusses the death and consequent mourning of 24-year old graduate student, Minghui Yu, who died on April 4th after being hit by a car while fleeing an assault.

My fear is that dialogues around campus will continue to focus on an unquestioned fear of the Harlem community, particularly of black, brown, and poor folks.

The 24-year-old Graduate School of Arts and Sciences statistics Ph.D. student is remembered by close friends for his joyful attitude toward every aspect of his life—from the pursuit of knowledge in the classroom to the delight of jumping by the shore.

The University is a vast, at times disconnected complex of institutions and communities, but what transpired Friday night can be said simply: We’ve lost one of our own.