Makeshift memorial for late Manhattan University student mistakenly removed
Aaron Schoepf was a 21-year-old junior at the university who suddenly died in April.
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A makeshift memorial for a late Manhattan University student was mistakenly removed from campus.
Aaron Schoepf was a 21-year-old junior at the university who suddenly died in April.
Friends and classmates set up a memorial on their special hangout spot at the edge of campus that included a picture frame with Aaron's favorite quote, flowers, his favorite soda, candy and cans of cat food for his fur baby, Ronny.
"It ended up becoming our secret hangout spot, but it wasn't secret because Aaron was always there," said Jo Alfred, who was friends with Aaron.
Alfred said community members began to ask if the memorial was removed earlier this month after the picture frame and knick-knacks were suddenly removed.
"They (the university) said they might have thrown it away because it didn’t necessarily look like a memorial," said Alfred.
Alfred says she was heartbroken to learn the place where she had come to grieve her friend was gone, so she launched a petition to ask the university to help create a permanent space where classmates could come together to remember Aaron.
"We honestly want the school to give us something that looks like a memorial, whether that's a plaque on the rock or even something in this beautiful garden right outside Aaron's first dorm," said Alfred, “We want a place where we can miss our friend, and we want a place where we can remember our friend."
Aaron was an English major, with a minor in theater and music. His partner, Rory Kaplan, says he was a dedicated member of the university's theater club and played countless roles during his time on campus.
"He was such a creative and amazing person who had empathy for everybody, was so loved and had double the love to give to others," said Kaplan.
Owen Sweeney was in the performing arts club with Aaron.
"He was always there, he was always someone you could learn on if you needed to," said Sweeney, “It felt like a disservice to have his memory stripped away."
The students said they requested a meeting with the university to discuss the potential of getting a permanent memorial installed on campus but say they have not yet gotten a response.
"He should be memorialized as a part of this campus, for the rest of time, because he meant a lot to us, we understand we won’t always be here, but we think he will always have a spot here, and he deserves that," said Sweeney.
