On Tuesday night, I left campus around midnight after picking a fight with the color laser printer. Exhausted, I sat at the bus stop rather than taking the escort shuttle. The 59u came one minute after the time indicated on the bus schedule. I pulled out my wallet to flash my pass and took a seat near the front. I started wondering how I was going to finish my writeup for Game Design when I was so tired. My stomach grumbled from not eating anything substantial since 10 am that morning.

The bus rumbled down Forbes, but there was a blockage. Police car lights flashing. An empty dark street. Even though I couldn\’t see that closely, there seemed to be a serious tone that exuded from the scene. The bus driver paused…and took a left into Beeler. I started wondering what would have happened if I walked home…it probably would have been faster, but would they have let me through the block?

I reached my intersection and hopped out, prepping myself for a long night of writing.

Turns out that the street block was because a student had gotten off the bus and while crossing the street, got hit by an incoming car. She died the following the morning at the UPMC from head trauma. So the last two days at the spot where she was hit lies a makeshift memorial of pink, hello kitty, and written messages. I didn\’t hear about it until some undergrads mentioned they were going to be late for class because of the memorial. What does it say about the campus when grad students are so unaware?

I remember the memorial that appeared when a student jumped off the math building in Berkeley (because computer science rejected him). There were messages indicating strength, purpose, nostalgia, and hope. But for a car accident, messages of condolences and love.

In other news, how can someone\’s death go unnoticed for 3 years? This is the ultimate blow in life–to be forgotten. If you disappeared, would anyone notice? Would someone care enough to find out why?