I picked up the phone on Monday to answer a call from my sister, a senior at UNC Chapel Hill. I was folding laundry. She was driving home from the grocery store. Thank goodness she was at the store. Just a few miles away from her, a UNC faculty member named Zijie Yan was killed and students endured a tense and frightening three hours of lockdown until the suspect was apprehended. 

Media accounts say Yan was known as a dedicated educator and even more dedicated father. His death is one of the latest acts of gun violence to enrapture America’s attention. 

The Old Gold & Black extends its deepest sympathy to Yan’s family and friends. Monday will go down as one of the worst days of their lives. Our hearts break with you, and we stand in solidarity with all those who mourn. 

All the while on Monday, Wake Forest students enjoyed their first day of class. Still delighting in life’s gifts while others are forced to grieve is one of the strangest parts of being human. Our staff gathered for our first in-person meeting of the year on Monday, sharing laughs, pitching stories and setting goals for the year — a year we hope and pray is not marred by a tragedy like this. Since I became editor, I’ve often wondered not if, but when, our newsroom might have to cover an active shooter situation on our campus. 

The Old Gold & Black also wants to extend its utmost admiration to the Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper. The front page published by the Daily Tar Heel on Wednesday powerfully visualized the student experience during an active shooter situation. The front page, which has gone viral, lists real text messages that students received from friends and family during the lockdown. Texts like “Are you safe?” “Where are you?” and “I love you.” If Yan received any of those messages from his loved ones, he never had the chance to read them. 

The Daily Tar Heel’s student journalists covered this tragedy with swiftness and accuracy, keeping their campus informed all while living through it themselves. They’ll continue to do so even after the nation forgets about UNC and moves on to the next school that endures a shooting. That’s America.