As the candles were lit and the carillon played, Krista Miller tried to use an orange-and-maroon shirt to wipe away the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

A gathering of Kansas University students stand in silence during a solemn moment of recognition and remembrance of the tragic events that occurred at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va. About 120 students, KU staff members and Lawrence residents attended the April vigil at the Campanile.

Kansas University graduate student Matt Drake, of Woodbridge, Va., addresses a crowd gathered Tuesday night at the Campanile. Drake finished his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech in May 2006.

It didn’t work. With wet eyes and a choked-up voice, Miller stood quietly as the bells tolled a song in memory of the 32 people who were shot and killed in Monday’s shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

While many Virginia Tech students gathered on their campus for a vigil to remember fallen classmates and instructors, a smaller group gathered around the Kansas University Campanile for its own vigil.

Miller, a KU senior from Richlands, Va., started her education at Virginia Tech before transferring to KU two years ago. As others watched endless coverage of the shootings that happened in a place somewhat far away, Miller was watching the reactions of people in a place she had called home.

“It was hard to watch on TV. That was the first place I ever lived away from home,” Miller said.

Fortunately, Miller said,all of her friends at Virginia Tech survived the attacks. But that didn’t make it any easier. She said the vigil KU organized was a helpful way for her to grieve.

“It was nice, even being so far away, that we could do something,” Miller said. “I’m glad they took the time to organize this.”

As they gathered, Chancellor Robert Hemenway told the crowd of about 120 that he was struck by the memory of the last time he stood on that place before such a crowd: following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He told the people standing in front of him that they would remember this event for the rest of their lives. “We will all remember that we were at the Campanile the night after 32 people died at Virginia Tech,” he said.

“There’s some sort of consolation in community.”

He urged those in attendance to reach out to one another, and share as a KU community in what had happened.

Sean Heston, president of the KU Religious Advisors group, urged those at the vigil to find comfort in each other.

“In moments like these, words can fail us,” he said. “When justice appears cloudy and distant, we long for a place of community.”

His words were followed by several minutes of silence, dedicated to a different group that is suffering because of the attacks: the victims, the surviving witnesses, the family and friends of the shooter, and those working for peace and justice in the aftermath of the attacks, as well as for healing across the entire campus.

Matthew Drake, a graduate student at KU who graduated from Virginia Tech last May, served as a bridge between the two communities.

“I stand before you as a fellow Jayhawk, but also as a Hokie,” Drake said. “I’d like to thank all of you for showing up this evening. A lot of this didn’t set in for me until I stepped up here in front of you.”

Drake urged community members to keep Virginia Tech students in their thoughts and minds in the days ahead, as they deal with the loss.